


Keep it Close

by Masterkcat



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: F/M, Original Character(s), Tony Stark/Daughter! Original Character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-05-27 15:26:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 33,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15027575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Masterkcat/pseuds/Masterkcat
Summary: Leilani Stark, the daughter of renowned genius Tony Stark, had a lot going for her. She owned a thriving business, had loyal friends, held a great relationship with her father, and much more. However, she also had secrets, dangerous ones at that. When more people begin to enter her life, those secrets are at risk of getting out, putting her and her loved ones in peril.





	1. Chapter 1

Lei was getting ready to go out when she got the call.

“Hello hello,” She pinned her phone between her ear and her shoulder as she wrestled on a pair of shoes. “Got anything good for me?”

“Frederick is going to be at a party tonight at the Romero mansion,” Sounds of clinking and chatter warbled in the background. “I don’t know if you can get on the guest list so late--this thing’s pretty swanky.”

“That’s fine, I wasn’t really feelin’ a party anyway,” She rifled through her bag to make sure she had everything she needed; keys, wallet, phone. When she didn’t find her phone she began to search for it, going so far as her bedroom before realizing it was in her hand. She awkwardly cleared her throat. “So, uh, Runa and I can just stake it out, catch him once he’s alone.”

“Are you sure that’s the best plan?”

“It’s _a_ plan and I’m running late for a meeting with my dad, so it’s the best you’re getting for the time being,” Lei pushed through her front door and let it fall shut behind her, knowing that it would lock behind her. She caught eye of a certain car waiting. “Oh-I gotta go. Thanks again, Ben.”

“No problem.” She ended the call and waved to Happy.

“How’d my dad know I needed a ride?” She asked.

“He said something along the lines of ‘father’s intuition’.” Lei rose an eyebrow.

“Does ‘intuition’ mean tracking my phone?” When Happy didn’t respond, she sighed. “Oh, Tony.”

“He means well.”

“I know, but I’ll still have to talk to him about that,” She slid into the passenger’s seat. Happy closed the door and rounded the car to get to the driver’s seat. “Being said, I am grateful for the ride.”

The conversation changed, Happy and Lei making small talk as they drove through New York. It was the kind you made with your family, where one person has known you your entire life and wanted to keep up; work, friends, and lovers, all but the last good and prospering.

“I heard your bar is doing good,” Happy commented at a red light. “The New York times was raving about it last week.”

“Yeah! Yeah, it’s great! A little hectic, especially with that review, but Ben’s been a life-saver.”

“Never doubt the worth of a good manager.”

“Or driver.” Lei grinned. That got a smile from him.

“Or driver.” He agreed.

* * *

 

Tony Stark was a strange man. That was the only reasoning Lei could find for why he floated in the air, listening to classic rock at full volume, cradling a toaster to his chest as he mutilated it with a screwdriver. He rotated slowly, and soon he turned enough to catch eye of his daughter staring at him.

“Leilani!” He pressed a button on the boots on his feet and he dropped. “FRIDAY, cut the music!” Deafening silence interrupted Led Zeppelin, and Tony tossed his toaster to the side. It clanked loudly.

“What did that poor thing do to you?” Lei asked, walking up and pulling him into a hug.

“I wanted to see if I could get it to toast faster. What do you think about the boots? New prototype.”

“How much faster do you need your toast? It takes like 2 minutes,” She knelt down to inspect the prototype. “Are these for your suit?”

“Yep, cleaner and quieter propulsion.”

“Look at you, caring for the environment,” She poked and prodded at the metal. “I’d have to look at the wiring to really pass judgement, but I think they’re great,” She pushed herself back up. “You still haven’t answered the toast question.”

“Why wouldn’t I try to get my toast faster?”

“There are so many things higher on my ‘problems that need fixing’ list, that ‘slow toast’ isn’t even on the _paper,”_ Lei went over to pick up the busted appliance. “Aren’t there other things you could do? Like, oh, I don’t know, just some random example, _plan your wedding_?” Her voice was teasing, but the unimpressed look in her eye made Tony shift.

“I’m planning it!”

“What season do you want to get married in?”

“.....One of the four.” He grinned sheepishly.

“Oh my god,” Lei threw up her hands. “Dad, it’s fine if you don’t want to plan it, but then hire somebody. Or ask me for help. At this rate _I’ll_ be married before you.”

“You’re dating someone?” He sounded surprised.

“No, that’s my point.”

“Whatever,” Tony waved the conversation away, much to his daughter’s chagrin. “Enough about me, how are you? Eating well? Sleeping okay?” He held her at arm’s length and look her up and down. “How’s the restaurant?”

Despite her irritation, she couldn’t help but smile. Even though he was done raising her, he wasn’t done being her father. “I’m good. Everything’s fine.” She assured him.

“No trouble at home? Nothing falling apart?”

“Nope.”

“Not even a creaky stair?”

“You know, you don’t need to play handyman if you want to come over. Just ask.” Lei grinned. He rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair. All effort made in the elevator to neaten it, and then some, was immediately lost.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Uh huh. Like you didn’t do that when I first moved in to my apartment.”

“Mmm, Nope, doesn’t ring a bell,” Tony plucked the toaster away and went back to tinkering. “But I do need to talk to you about something.”

“Oh?” Lei settled herself on a table. “Are you finally telling me about the divorce?”

“Wait, what?”

“You know, you and Steve, the Accords? Your divorce.” She spoke as if it were obvious.

“Why do you call it that, again?”

“You two argue like an old married couple. It fits. So?” She gestured for him to talk. “Is it?”

He looked at her suspiciously.“Why do you think it has something to do with that?”

“A hunch, mostly,” She shrugged. “You’ve been preparing your guestrooms for longtime stay, 5 count, for the people who haven’t retired or under house arrest. Plus you and Rhodey have been talking a _lot_ with the UN and there’s a rumor in the news that the Accords are being renegotiated.”

“I raised you better than to think that the National Enquirer is news.” He was avoiding the main part of her question. She knew he knew she noticed. He wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“It’s not, but the rumor is… _intriguing_ when paired with what I know,” He frowned at her. “Come on, tell me if I’m right. Are Steve and the others coming back?”

Tony didn’t respond immediately. Making faces and strange noises, he looked to the ceiling as if asking god for some sort of strength. “You know…” He finally complained. “It’s really hard to keep _top secret, government information_ when your child is this nosy.”

“You say nosy, I say observant.”

“You’re too smart for your own good.”

“Well then, that’s your own fault,” She grinned. “So I’m right?”

“Yeah…” She let out cheer and lifted her arms in victory. “They’re coming at the end of the month.”

“What are the conditions? What can I do to help?”

“You’re pretty eager.”

“I love Steve!” He rose an eyebrow. She lifted her hands up in surrender and quickly added. “Not as much as you, of course, my only father of whom I love very very much.”

“Uh huh, sure.”

“I wasn’t as invested as the conflict as I should’ve been, maybe,” Lei admitted. Her face became soft with genuine concern. “It’s probably more exciting to me than it is to you. Are you okay with it? Especially with how bad it went down.”

“Of course I’m fine with it.”

“Dad.”

“I’m serious. Steve and I have our issues, but this agreement is going to be good for all of us. The Avengers will be back together, the world will have more protectors, it’ll be great.”

“You can still be uncomfortable with it,” she insisted softly. “It’s okay to not be ready to see them again.”

“I promise, sweetheart. I’m ready.”

She didn’t look convinced, but didn’t push it any further. “You still didn’t answer my question.”

“What was it again?”

“Well, it was two, actually. I kinda lied.”

“How dare you.”

She smiled. “Anyway--I wanted to know the conditions of the whole thing. Like, personal opinion aside, the UN isn’t going to just let them come back and go on as if nothing’s happened.”

Tony sighed. “They’re under house arrest for at least a year. They can only go out under supervision.” Lei sucked throuh her teeth.

“Oh, that’s gonna end well.”

“You think?”

“God no, you and Steve are going to throttle each other. I guess that leads to my next question; can I help?”

“No.”

“Dad-”

“Leilani, no,” He was firm. “I don’t want you to get involved in this superhero stuff. It’s bad enough Peter shoved himself into it, I don’t need you risking your life too.”

“Risking my life? Fight or no fight, you still know these people! Steve attended my graduation for Chrissakes.”

“They could break your neck!”

“They’ve agreed to the renegotiation just the same as you--they’re not going to risk going back on the run just to kill some restaurant owner,” He bristled at the mere idea. Lei quickly changed tactics. “I’m not asking to join the Avengers or anything like that--but if I can get clearance to supervise them while they’re out in the city, make it so you don’t have to go,” she offered. “I won’t take any risks. _They_ won’t take any risks. I just want to help.”

Tony fell silent as he thought it over. “Okay,” He finally said. Lei smiled wide. “On one condition.”

“Yeah?”

“You stay away from the Winter Soldier.”

* * *

 

Lei appeared on the Romero mansion’s rooftop to find Runa already sitting on the edge. The summer air was warm and thick, but up this high there was a breeze that made it less oppressive. Lei didn’t mind either way. She loved the heat. “How’s it looking down there?” She asked. Runa glanced behind her just in time to see her former student take a seat as well.

“Nothing yet. Just drinking champagne and leering,” She looked Lei up and down. “What kept you?”

“My dad wanted to have dinner together. Couldn’t say no.”

Runa smiled and returned her gaze to the party below. “You’re a good kid.”

“I’d like to think so.”

Frederick was a greying man, tall and clad in an ill-fitting suit. Lei knew that wasn’t the result of a poor tailor. It was the same reason she wore a jacket a size too big for her. It was to hide the powerful frame underneath. She learned the trick from him, after all. He navigated the guests and staff with ease, charm obvious even from stories above. It made Lei’s lip curl and something nasty boil in her stomach, so she turned her attention to the party overall, trusting Runa to pick up the slack.

The Romero mansion was a thing of modern beauty. Straight lines of glass and steel defined it. Golden light spilled from the glass doors and onto the large and carefully cultivated garden. Music also came from inside, jazz that seemed to be played live. Besides the reason Lei and Runa were there, it was a lovely scene to watch.

“Oh, look, he’s on the move,” Runa leaned forward to peer closer.Her eyebrows furrowed. “What is he doing?”

“He’s following that waitress.” Lei was already getting to her feet.

“You don’t think-”

“I know.” Her face was dark as she disappeared.

* * *

 

Lei reappeared behind a large topiary, hidden from the party guests and with a perfect view of Frederick. She followed him as he followed a waitress, whose mounting distress was evident in her quickening pace. As Lei walked, she took off her jacket and it vanished in her hands, becoming threaded with gold before going away completely. It revealed her in a slinky cocktail dress. When she emerged from the brush, no one bat an eye. A waiter even offered her a champagne flute. And his number.

“Come on, I know you’re playing hard to get,” Frederick urged the woman he cornered. She looked like a college student. He was easily 60. “You don’t wanna make me mad, do you?” Panic was clear in her eyes.

“Hi! Sorry!” Lei put on a grin, all teeth and no sincerity. Frederick whipped around, color draining from his face. She knew he recognized her. The vicious joy that gave her made her smile wider. “Not to barge in, can I borrow him for a second?” Her nails dug painfully into his bicep as she grabbed onto it. The waitress nodded gratefully while Frederick spluttered. Lei ignored him. “Thank you!”

“You can’t do this. You can’t hurt me-” He protested as she literally dragged him away. She dragged him into the bushes, getting rougher and less poised the further they got away from prying eyes.

“I can and I will.” Her voice was hard, a steel blade.

“I’ve changed, I promise-”

She clicked her tongue as she threw him against a nearby bench.“The gods hate liars, Frederick. Even if I didn’t hold a grudge, you still have a lot to answer for. What were you going to do to that girl? Drug her and sell her? I know humans go for a hefty price amongst your clientele. Can’t put up much of a fight,” Her foot pressed into his chest. He whimpered. “I already caught them, your clients. They gave you up to save your own skins. No honor among sex traffickers, I guess.”

“ _Please_ -”

“You didn’t listen to a please, why should I?”

“I can give you money-”

“Have it. Don’t need yours.”

“Favors-”

“Have those too.”

“Anything.”

“Anything?” He nodded desperately. She leaned forward until her lips were right up to his ear. Her next words came as a whisper. “Then suffer.”

* * *

 

Lei came into the restaurant at 3 in the morning, knuckles bloody and expression grim. Ben, who was manning a deserted bar, was quick to hop it and make his way over to her.

“You okay?” She nodded. “Did Runa go home?” Another nod. “Alright, come with me, you know the drill.”

The drill was Ben pulling out a first aid kit and patching Lei up as she drank imported liquor. It always took a little needling to get her to talk about her mission, exhaustion and general malaise making her reluctant to speak, but he kept pushing at it because he knew it helped.

“So Frederick was there?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you take care of him?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you feel better?”

“I shouldn’t, but….” She subconsciously curled and uncurled her left hand. “He fucking deserved it and I’m glad he’s gone.”

“He did.” He gripped her hand comfortingly. She smiled weakly. He smiled back. Lei cleared her throat of the tears that clogged it and gestured to her glass.

“So where’s this from? It tastes familiar.”

“Kara Kara.”

“Damn. I forgot they had great booze.”

“They need some way to deal with living in the desert.”

“Point there.” She got up, shrugging on her jacket and shoving her newly fixed up hands into her pockets.

“Are you taking the bottle?”

“Nah. Keep it for the bar.”

“Got it.”

“Hey Ben?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

He smiled softly. “It’s the least I can do.”


	2. Chapter 2

Bucky felt like he was back in Hydra.

The guns, the cuffs, the dull terror, the uncertainty--it left a sour taste in his mouth and sent panic bubbling in his gut. He sat squished into a van, his wrists bound together and staring at a pair of guards ready to shoot him down at the slightest provocation. Lewis, the younger one, was obviously more trigger-happy than Greene, his older counterpart. That only made Bucky even more nervous.

Beside him, Sam shifted to ease the stiffness in his limbs. “Stop moving!” Lewis snapped.

“Jesus dude, calm down,” Sam grumbled. “My arm’s cramping up.”

“I don’t care.”

“Lewis, shut up.” Greene grumbled. He had the look of a parent tired of his unruly child. Disgruntled, Lewis obeyed. As long as he held onto that AK, however, Bucky would remain tense.

_ “You don’t have to agree to this.” Steve sat at his table, flanked by Shuri and T’Challa. They all looked concerned. Bucky refused to look at them, instead trying to organize the items in his kitchen to regain some form of control. His one hand shook slightly. _

_ “The deal falls apart without me, right?” The forced calm sounded strange to his ears and he wondered if it sounded strange to them too. It almost didn’t feel like himself talking. _

_“You’re doing_ ** _well_** _here, Buck, You don’t have to risk that.” Steve, that punk, with his voice so soft and understanding._

_ “You can’t be on the run forever.” _

_ “We’ll find another way.” _

_ Bucky still didn’t look. He tried to find the proper order of his silverware. He didn’t want to leave. That was the last thing he wanted to do. Wakanda was beautiful, had a peace about it that he had never known and found addictive. He liked being the White Wolf, playing with the children and raising animals. He liked just….being. That would all disappear if he agreed. _

_ “Let’s do it.” He said, clearing his throat when his voice wavered. _

_ “Are you sure?” Steve asked. Bucky nodded jerkily. Steve, still audibly unconvinced said- “Okay…" _

They were jostled as the van rolled over a speed bump. Darkness swallowed them and was replaced with the tinny lights of a garage. No more sunshine. Bucky swallowed hard.

“We’re here,” Greene said. His voice was gruff. They all waited until the guards at the front got out and opened the doors for them. “Go.” Greene ordered. Obediently, Sam and Bucky slid out and were immediately grabbed by the other guards and frogmarched towards the elevator bank.

“Welcome,” A voice startled Bucky, an Irish lilt that came from nowhere. “Miss Stark is waiting for you at the top.” Sam rose an eyebrow.

“Miss Stark?” He glanced towards Bucky for some sort of backup. “Did he get married while we were gone?” Bucky only shrugged, too tense to really speculate. The mirrored walls didn’t help calm him down. He could see what everyone else did; a scared, distressed man, rumpled from rough handling. His heart was beating too fast. He tried to watch the numbers count to calm himself down, but they were changing too fast as well. Everything was too fast.

They slowed to a stop and the doors opened.“Miss Stark?” Greene asked.

“That’s me,” She was pretty, with tawny brown skin and thick curls tumbling down her back. She smiled easily. “I can take it from here.”

“Are you serious?” Lewis complained. Greene barely held back a groan. “She’s a kid.” Miss Stark rose an eyebrow.

“And you’re a lonely college dropout, but we all seem to overcome our failings.” Sam choked back a snort while Lewis flushed.

“You don’t-I’m not-” He fumbled. Miss Stark seemed utterly relaxed, still smiling and with her hands in her pocket. Greene just went to work unlocking Sam and Bucky. Once he was done with them, he pushed them towards Miss Stark.

“At ease, Lewis,” He said. “Let’s just go.”

Lewis spluttered some more, but Greene just dragged him back towards the elevator.

“Bye…!” Miss Stark wave with her fingers until the doors closed behind the guards. Then she stopped and sighed. “Dear god, what an asshole.”

“I’m with you there.” Sam agreed. She held out a hand.

“Lei Stark.”

“Tony’s...?” Sam took it.

“Daughter. I know what you’re thinking, I’m his daughter.” Lei was quick to answer. Sam looked relieved, though confused.

“I didn’t know he had one.”

“Not many people do,” She shrugged. “You’re Sam, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Nice to meet you,” She smiled, and Bucky realized that the one she wore before wasn’t as genuine. This one was much warmer, sweet like honey and it stuck to his lungs like it too. “I think we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other over the coming year.”

“With that show you just put on? I’m excited.” Sam laughed. Then Lei turned to Bucky, and his breath got stuck in the honey.

“So you must be Bucky,” Unable to speak, he nodded, hoping at the very least his cheeks didn’t betray him like his voice. “Nice to meet you too. I hope you won’t mind living here too much,” Just like she did with Sam, she held out for a handshake. It was her left hand, and Bucky hesitated. He looked down to his new metal arm, then nervously back at her. Her eyes, however, remained soft. Remained warm. “I don’t mind, if you don’t.” She said gently. He swallowed and gingerly took her hand. She shook it in a firm grip; not too hard, but definitely not afraid of the contact. He stared at their hands, a little dumbfounded.

“Where’s everyone else?” Sam asked, breaking the moment. To Bucky’s slight dismay, Lei drew away to address him.

“Down in one of the common rooms. Come with me, I’ll show you.” She beckoned them to follow. She walked a little ahead of them, allowing Sam to speak without being heard.

“She’s cute.” He told Bucky, giving him a significant raise of his eyebrows.

“I guess.”

“There’s no ‘guess’ in the way you stared at her.” Sam teased. Bucky shoved him away, causing him to laugh.

“I wasn’t-she just-” Reminded him of a summer night, dark and warm and surrounding him like a blanket.  _ New York never slept, bustling around him and Steve as they stumbled down the streets of Brooklyn. Laughter had followed them from Coney Island and it bounced against the buildings and rang up to the stars. Some poor mother shoved open her window to tell them off. They only laughed harder. _ Unconsciously, Bucky smiled.

“Look at that! You’ve got a crush, boy!”

“Sam will you  _ shut up _ -?”

“If you two don’t hurry up I will leave you behind,” They looked up from their conversation to see Lei poking her head from behind a corner, the end of the hall a crossroads that could easily lead them to get lost. Neither man was fond of the idea, especially in a building like this. They quickly picked up the pace to meet her. “Thank you,” She said. There was a slyness in how she smiled. “Also Bucky?”

“Y-yes?”

“I’m offended you only  _ guess _ I’m cute. Look at these dimples, they’re adorable,” Bucky flushed while Sam burst out laughing. Lei grinned, showing off the dimples in question. They were charming, he had to admit. “Try to keep up, now.”

“All of the common rooms have kitchens and dining rooms connected to them, though you all have kitchenettes in your rooms. Don’t order food unless you ask me, since I’m the one paying for it.” Tony stood in front of the people who at one point would’ve been called the Avengers. They all took seats on the many couches, Bucky sitting between Nat and Steve. Lei stood behind her father, hands back in her pockets and rocking on the balls of her feet. At his words she looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Haven’t heard that sentence since high school.” She muttered. Sam, who sat closest to her, grinned.

“Leilani-”

“Anthony,” She mimicked. He gave her a look. “ You guys are teammates.Try not sound like their father too.”

Do you want take over?” It was an odd mix of a taunt and a genuine request. Lei nodded.

“Gladly,” She clapped her hands together, startling her audience. “You can go out under approved supervision, which includes Vis, Rhodey, my dad, which you expect, but also some Un agents and  me.”

“So I can take you out?” Sam asked. Bucky rolled his eyes.

“Oh, honey,” She pressed a scandalized hand to her chest. “You better, or you’ll hurt my feelings.”

“No flirting.” Tony complained.

“And no drinking coffee, rules were meant to be broken,” She gave a pointed look towards the chipped ‘1# DAD’ mug he held in his hands. Tony pulled it protectively to his chest. “Another, request--not from the UN, just from me--if you catch him drinking coffee, just knock it from his hand. Not with this mug, though. It’s survived 17 years, let’s let it live.”

The best thing that Bucky could compare Lei to was the sun; radiant. It was hard to stay uncomfortable in that, not when it was so warm, so inviting. He wasn’t the only one feeling it. Wanda, who was looking like a deer in headlights during the whole ordeal, was starting to smile. Steve and Nat were relaxing too. 

“Clint and Lang have their own separate agreements, but they’ll still be coming over every once in a while to check in with their caseworkers. You all have caseworkers too, and you’ll need to meet with them every month or so, starting tomorrow, as a matter of fact. They’ll talk to you about your specific requirements for this renegotiation, and then just, you know, check in, make sure you’re sorry and you’re not planning to run away.”

“Every month?” Steve asked.

“I know. Finally, you’ll have your own ‘time of the month’ to complain about. It’s equality.” Tony, who was taking a sip of his coffee, choked. Sam howled while Wanda couldn’t hide her own giggles. Lei looked smug.

“Are you living here too?” Wanda asked hesitantly, once the laughter died down. There was hope in her words.

“Uh, no, actually. I live nearby, but I visit and stay over all the time. You won’t see the last of me.” Lei smiled.

They took a tour after that. She was sure to keep up the chatter while they mapped out their suites, the conference rooms, the gym, the library. It was mostly between her and Sam, with Tony or Steve sometimes chiming in, but the others listened intently.

“So you went to MIT?”

Lei nodded. “Yep. Double majored in robotics and programming,”

“Don’t forget theatre.” Tony piped up.

“Oh woah, hold up, you got an artistic streak? Screw this tour, we gotta get married!” Bucky  _ wished  _ he could be Sam at this moment, able to flirt as easily as breathing. It didn’t make it better that Lei gave as good as she got, patting Sam’s shooting him a playful raise of the eyebrow.

“It’s more like a spiteful streak,” Tony grumbled. “She only got it because I ‘assumed’ she was going to a tech school.”

“What can I say, when you assume you make an ass out of you and me.” Lei said

“Well you definitely made sure of that.”

“Hey! I graduated with good grades and the ability to recite Shakespeare. I  _ prospered _ . Besides, I ended up at MIT anyway, I didn’t tarnish the family name.”

“Uh huh, and which of your three degrees are you using?”

“Got me there.” Their words had no bite, instead teasing and full of affection. Even with what Tony said, it was obvious he adored his daughter and she her father.

They stopped at another bank of elevators and Lei turned to the group with an apologetic smile.

“This is where I leave you. I have an appointment I gotta make, but I’ll be back tomorrow.” She waved to them, hugged her father, and stepped into one the cars. With that she was gone. There was a beat of startled silence, taken aback by how quickly she disappeared. 

“I like her.” Wanda finally said softly. Tony visibly swelled with pride, but then very seriously said-

“She’s off limits. To all of you.”

“She’s a grown woman, Tony,” Steve didn’t seem impressed. “She can make her own decisions.”

“I don’t care. The rules are different when it comes to my kid. None of you touch her, and if any of you hurt her, Accords or no Accords, you’re dead.”

“We got it, man, calm down.” Sam grumbled.

“Watch it, Wilson, you’re already on thin ice.”

“Alright, listen-”

“All of you, calm down,” Nat, who had stayed mostly silent the whole day, finally spoke up. Her voice was a snap that startled them all into compliance. “Can we just try  _ not  _ to kill each other? Tony, we won’t do anything to make her uncomfortable, but you can’t just start shit on her behalf. Okay?”

There was tense silence. Bucky could see Tony had more to say, judging by the way the muscles in his jaw spasm. But he blew a hard breath out of his nose and stood down. “Fine. Let’s just finish the tour.”


	3. Chapter 3

“How’s things in the tower?”

Lei looked up from her training dummy. Runa had taken a break from her own training, choosing instead to watch her former student wail on a poor enchanted suit of armor stuffed with hay. As Lei dropped her sparring stance, the dummy dropped into a pile on the grass. “Why do you ask?” She said suspiciously, panting slightly.

“You’re beating that thing up like it owes you money.”

“That’s kinda the point, right?”

“Usually you’re efficient. This is just brutal,” Lei narrowed her eyes at the easily smiling Runa. “It’s your dad, isn’t it? He’s the only one who can really get you worked up like this.”

“Or you.”

“Let’s say parental figures. What’d he do?”

Lei hesitated, choosing to wipe at the sweat on her skin instead. Then she admitted. “He’s not adjusting well to having ‘team Cap’ in the tower.”

“Combative?” Runa offered her a flask of water.

“That doesn’t even begin to cover it,” Lei grabbed the flask and took a swig. Everyone’s getting pissed, rightfully so. I won’t be surprised if Steve just decks him soon. Oh! And don’t even get me started on Bucky! He warns me off of being near him, which, whatever, sure, but meanwhile he’s being  _ nasty _ to him. Apparently he won’t even leave his room now, my dad’s being such a dick.”

“Tony’s probably just anxious.”

“Doesn’t excuse it,” Lei dropped to the ground to sit dejectedly. “The worst part is he acts like everything’s  _ fine _ . We’re two months in and every time I ask he waves it off. If it weren’t for everyone else complaining to me about it, and if I didn’t have any senses whatsoever, I wouldn’t know that he’s spiralling this bad. He’s even getting snippy at Peter.  _ Peter!”  _

Lei looked desperately to Runa, who sat contemplatively. The small woman rested her chin on palm as she picked at her brain for an answer.

“Guess it runs in the family.” She finally said.

“What?”

“Sacrificing your own sanity for the other’s. He wants to protect you from his neurosis.”

“I’m used to his neurosis-I  _ inherited  _ his neurosis. I can’t help if he doesn’t talk to me.”

“Oh wow, doesn’t that sound familiar.”

“Watch it.” Lei pointed an accusing finger at her.

“Look, if it really bothers you, then take some action of your own,” Runa offered. “Move into the tower, maybe-”

“You know that’s not possible.”

“Have Bucky move in with you-”

“He’d kill me.”

“Or maybe it’d be the wake up call he needs. If you’re choosing to protect Bucky rather than to defend him, he might make an effort to get his shit together.”

Lei pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to quell the beginnings of a headache. “There’s so many risks to that,” She complained. “With my job, with the house, this plan could go sideways so  _ fast _ .”

“Since when did that stop you?” Runa pushed herself to her feet. “Ask around. See what Steve or Bucky’s therapist thinks. They’ll probably want him in a better environment, and if that happens to be  _ your  _ environment? Well.” Runa shrugged.

* * *

 

_ Despite Pepper’s protests, Lei ran ahead, sprinting down the hospital hallway and dodging staff. She repeated the room number in her head, terrified of forgetting it.  _

__ _ Someone grabbed her arm and she yelped. It was a doctor. _

__ _ “Who are you looking for?” _

__ _ “My dad, I gotta see my dad-” She struggled against her. Tears started to prick at her eyes. “Please let me go, I need to see him!” _

__ _ “Okay, okay!” The doctor tried to smile reassuringly. “Where’s his room?” Lei told her, and the doctor’s eyebrows furrowed. “Are you sure?” _

__ _ “I’m sure, I’m sure. Please-” Lei was 16, a fresh graduate from high school, and crying like a child. “Please I need to see if he’s okay.” _

__ _ Pepper caught up with them. Slightly out of breath, she reassured the doctor that Lei was in fact who she said she was, the daughter of Tony Stark. The doctor barely loosened her grip when Lei ripped out of it and proceeded to sprint down the hall again.  _

__ _ She skidded past the hospital suite, but was quick to catch the door frame before she went too far. She used that leverage to haul herself back into the doorway. _

__ _ “Leilani?” her father was awake, but seeing him so battered and bruised sent a fresh wave of tears to slip down her cheeks. She wanted to hug him, but she didn’t want to hurt him more. Lei resigned herself to gripping onto her own arms. _

__ _ “Daddy?” She hadn’t called him that in years. His eyes softened and he held out his arms. _

__ _ “Come here, kiddo.” _

__ _ “I don’t-you’re hurt-” _

__ _ “I don’t care,” He smiled. Lei hiccuped and caved, stumbling forward and falling into his hug. He held onto her tightly. “I’m here, sweetheart, I’m here,” He kissed her temple, sniffing back tears of his own. “I’m not going anywhere ever again.” _

__ _ “I thought you were going to die.” She admitted. Her voice was muffled into the collar of his hospital gown. _

__ _ “No way, kiddo, you know why?” He pulled back enough to hold her face in his hands. She shook her head. “Because the entire time I was there, you were with me. You were with me and you were telling me to get off my ass and find a way back home.” _

__ _ “Glad to know you were hallucinating,” She wiped her eyes and gave a weak laugh. He laughed too, weak and cut off by a wince. She sobered and turned her attention to his chest. What she soon would learn to be the arc reactor glowed steadily. “Did you make that to get home?” He nodded. “Does it hurt?” _

__ _ “No. It’s what’s keeping me alive, really.” She frowned. _

__ _ “What is it?” _

__ _ “How about I tell you when I’m not in a hospital bed?” _

__ _ “Dad-” _

__ _ “Please?” Tony Stark wasn’t one to plead, but his voice cracked in desperation all the same. “Please just give me some time.” _

__ _ Lei wanted to ask more questions, wanted to pull the story from him so she would know his pain, but the look on his face made her swallow her words. He didn’t need an interrogation. He just needed his daughter by his side. So she gave it to him. And she kept giving it to him for 11 years. _

* * *

 

Bucky wrung his hands as he sat in front of Dr. Freeman. He was uncomfortable, which wasn’t new these days, and his therapists unwavering gaze didn’t help. To try and calm himself, he tried to look around the office for something to focus on. The lollipops on the desk (he still hadn’t worked up the courage to grab one), the artwork on the walls (he liked abstract. Bucky didn’t get it), the books on the bookshelf (Psychology texts. Go figure).

“Is Tony still giving you a hard time?”

Straight to the point. Bucky winced slightly. “I-I don’t know,” He admitted. “I haven’t been around him enough to really….tell.”

“You’ve been hiding.”

Bucky didn’t answer. Dr. Freeman sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.

“This whole deal is contingent on y’all being under house arrest. But, it doesn’t really specify where,” Dr. Freeman looked at him, squinting without his glasses. “Someone posed a deal to me, to relocate you until Tony Stark, uh, calms down.”

“Relocate me?”

“You’ll be close enough to make your appointments, or to have your friends visit without any hassle, and she already has the proper clearance.”

“Who’s she?”

“Leilani Stark,” Bucky’s expression made Dr. Freeman quickly add- “She’s not like her father-in fact she’s the one who offered to house you. She has the space and the resources, and I agree in thinking that separating you and Tony will be good for the both of you.”

“Won’t….” Bucky hated how childish he sounded. “Won’t he be mad?”

“Ms. Stark said she’d be willing to deal with him. You wouldn’t have to.”

He shifted in his chair, feeling too large in the small seat. The offer was tempting, he had to admit, though after that first meeting, Lei’s radiance dimmed into polite distance. He thought that she had reconsidered being so nice to the man who killed her grandparents. But here she was, offering him sanctuary. “You think it’s a good idea?”

“It’s a better one than staying.”

* * *

 

“This was your idea!?” 

Lei wasn’t used to being yelled at by her father. Even growing up, he rarely rose his voice. She flinched as he seethed, gripping the papers so hard in his hand that they crumpled slightly. “Dad-”

“You promised me you’d stay away from him, and you turn around and invite him into your  _ home _ ?!”

“I made that promise on the assumption that you’d be civil!” She snapped back. “But instead you’re acting like a fucking monster!”

“I’m not-”

“Everyone, from both sides, has been telling me you’ve been getting worse and worse,” She clenched her fists by her side. “You’re not dealing with your shit and you’re taking out on everyone else.  _ Especially _ Bucky.”

“I don’t have shit-”

“Yes you do!” She threw up her hands. “And it’s okay if you do! But you denying it isn’t going to solve anything!” He grit his teeth, shoulders tensed and chest heaving.

“So you’re choosing him over me?”

“I’m choosing not to indulge your bullshit,” She snarled. “ I love you dad-”

“Great way of showing it!”

“I love you, and I want you to get  _ help _ . And if that means making you hate me, then I’ll make you fucking despise me. You can disown me for all I care, if it means you finally talk to someone.”

That took Tony aback. He struggled for something to say, but Lei was obviously done with the argument. She pushed past him and left the conference room. He stared long after the door swung closed.

* * *

 

“Here we are,” Lei gestured to her apartment. It was a narrow townhouse, a brick four story with warehouse windows. The front door was pushed to the side of the building, making room for a small garage. “It’s not the same as the tower, but, it’s home.”

Bucky nodded, gripping the strap of his duffle bag tight. “Thank you.” He said softly.

She smiled. It was tired, and maybe a little sad, but still had that warmth that drew him in the first place. “No problem, honest.” She waved him to follow her.

Bucky liked Lei’s apartment. She seemed to like her comfort, with cozy couches and soft blankets. His bedroom was next to a home library full to the brim with books. She even had a garden, a small courtyard wild with flowers and protected by high wooden fences. 

“You pretty much have free reign, save for my room, of course, but yeah,” Lei shrugged as she rested against the kitchen island. “If there’s anything you want, you can just write it down and I can bring the list to the store. I might leave for most of the day, but you’re more than welcome to call someone to take you out if you want to. You’re not a prisoner here,” she suddenly sighed, folding her arms and leveling him with an apologetic look. “I know things aren’t….ideal, right now, but I hope that as long as you stay here, you feel like your home.”

He felt his throat close and eyes grow misty. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Bucky.”


	4. Chapter 4

“How’s lover boy holding up?”

“I wish you’d stop calling him that.”

“Hot man shacked up in your house? Come on, It’s accurate.”

“No, it’s not. Shut up.”

Lei and Runa sat on the top level of a club, nursing their drinks and keeping a wary eye on a booth below. Neither were fond of stakeouts like these, from the restrictive clothing to the crowded venue, and it made them both tense. 

“Anyway, he’s….fine. Still adjusting,” Lei took a sip and grimaced. She was never much of a drinker. Of human alcohol, at least. It tasted too much like college. “I rarely see him, he only really comes out once I’m out of the house.”

“How would you know if you’re not there?”

“He eats the food I leave for him, reads the books I set out,” Lei watched one of the bodyguards. He was getting visibly ill, sweating and pale. “I write notes for him and he’s started writing some back.”

“That’s something.”

“A start, at least.”

The bodyguard stumbled out of his seat and staggered towards the bathroom. His partner was starting to look not too well either. Lei and Runa shifted ever so slightly in their seats, preparing to slip out at a moments notice. “How’s your dad?” Runa asked. Lei grimaced.

“He’s still not talking to me.”

“It’s been 2 weeks.”

“He’s still hurt.”

“Is he talking to someone yet?”

“Pepper’s trying to convince him, but other than that I think he’s just sulking,” She took another brooding sip. “Fuck, this is  _ garbage _ . Anyway, he even told FRIDAY to lock me out of the labs.”

“He’s acting like a child.”

“How would you feel if your only child chose a stranger over-” Lei suddenly stopped. When Runa began to ask why she held up her finger, an order to pause the conversation. The second bodyguard was clutching his stomach. His boss, the target, looked irritated as he asked him a question. Before the bodyguard could respond, he clamped a hand over his mouth and rushed off as well. “We’ll have this conversation another time. Let’s go.”

They dodged the masses of dancing people, purpose on their faces and murder in their walk. A few men start to approach them, but quickly changed their minds with one quick glare. These women were on a mission.

The target, Clare Tomely, sat slumped in his booth waiting for his guards to return. He however quickly sat up at the sight of Runa and Lei slipping in the seats beside him, sandwiching him in. His face was pale. 

“How are you Clare?” Runa was pleasant, drumming her nails on the wooden table. He flinched at the sound. “Having fun?”

“I uh-yeah,” He cleared his throat nervously. “How are-how are you?”

“Oh, you know,” Lei grinned, all teeth and no sincerity. “Not too excited working a Friday night.”

“I’m sorry to hear th-at.” His voice wavered as a knife appeared in her hand.

“Well, you know us,” Runa said casually. “There’s nothing we won’t do. Including working late hours.”

“Is that right?”

“And you want to know our job for tonight?” He swallowed. “We’ve heard you’ve been selling contraband to humans.”

“I-no I haven’t-”

“5 victims in 5 weeks, Clare. All in the hospital telling strange stories of what hurt them,” Lei’s gaze was hard as she spoke. “Creatures crawling out of their mirrors, necklaces trying to choke them, monkey paws that break their  _ own  _ fingers. And these all trace back to you.”

“I didn’t know-”

“Awfully big coincidence, then,” She seemed unimpressed. “You know the risk as well as any of us. If humans found out about magic, it would be mayhem. You see what they do with mutants, and they’re not even from another universe. Imagine what they would do to  _ you _ , little cat.”

“No one will find out-”

“We found the artifacts,” Runa said. “The mirror was particularly nasty. Whoever cursed it was particularly twisted. Whoever  _ sold it _ was particularly heartless,” She grabbed onto Clare’s arm and forced him to bring his hand out from under the table. His nails had turned to claws. “And stupid, might I add.”

“What are you going to do? Kill me?” He spat. Fear, however, shone in his eyes. 

“No,” Lei let the knife disappeared. “ I think it’s time you go back home and stand trial. Damien let you on the run free for long enough.”

“Oh gods, please, no-”

“I might have been more lenient if you had kept your head low, but no, you had to make a quick buck. You should’ve known things were gonna be different after the fall of the Libra, not so easy to get away with this kinda bullshit.”

“They’ll kill me-”

“You should’ve thought of that before you wasted your chance here,” She slid out of the booth. Lei guided him towards her, a non-too-gentle grip on his shoulder. “Try not to cause a scene.”

To the outside eye, It looked like Clare had the score of a lifetime. Two beautiful ladies by his side, one with their arm wrapped securely around his waist. But if they looked closer, they could see the panic in the man’s eyes and how the blonde holding onto him was practically dragging him along. The trio left the club and into the night. When the bodyguards returned, they found the booth empty, their boss’ glass still half-full. After glancing around, they concluded that he had gone home to get laid.

They never saw him again.

* * *

 

Lei came home exhausted. She had stopped at the restaurant to change, trading a tight black dress for jeans and a soft sweater, and picked up some ice cream on the way.

She opened the door of her townhouse, the gold knocker pressing uncomfortably into her shoulder. A flight of stairs greeted her, another landing just in sight. It wasn’t a long climb, especially from someone who has scaled 20 story walls, but right at that moment Lei wished desperately that she had rebuilt the building with her apartment starting on the ground floor. Her feet dragged up each step, and she was finally,  _ finally  _ in her living room.

She rubbed out a kink in her neck while dropping her clothes bag unceremoniously on the floor. Her ice cream still hung from her other wrist. The couch looked inviting, soft cushions and fluffy blankets beckoning her to lay down, but she resisted the urge and headed to the kitchen. The chance for dinner was long gone, but at the very least she could get a spoon and eat a pint of ice cream.

“Hey.”

Lei stopped in the kitchen entrance, dumbfounded. Bucky was sitting nervously at the island. It was the first time she had really seen him since he started living with her, at most catching glimpses before he slipped back into his room. He made no move to do that now, however. He even made eye contact with her. “Hey?” She didn’t know how to react. “I-whu-why aren’t you asleep?” He shifted sheepishly.

“You usually come back before it gets dark,” He explained.“I got worried.” Lei stared, heart touched and overwhelmed. Bucky cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Where-where were you?”

“Out with a friend,” Her voice was soft. “You didn’t have to stay up for me.”

“I wanted to make sure you got home safe,” His hands fiddled with each other, white and grey twisting together. The complete sincerity of his words left Lei speechless. “Did you have dinner?” He asked. “I made some pasta. It-it’s not much but if you want some….”

“I’d love some,” She was quick to reassure him, and smiled. “Let me just put this away.” 

“What is it?”

“Cookie-dough ice cream. Do you like it?”

She got a shy smile in return. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. “I love it.”

“Well you can have some. But-” She held up a finger. “You gotta sit with me while I eat and watch trashy tv.”

That got a laugh from him. “Okay. That-that’s fair.”

* * *

 

“Why’d they choose that house? That was the worst house.”

“Really? I liked it better that the ‘greenhouse getaway’.”

“At least that one was interesting. This one is architectural beige,” Lei choked on her ice cream, coughing into her elbow as she tried to get it out of the wrong pipe. Bucky flushed. “I’m not wrong!”

“No, you got a point, it’s just-” She snorted again. “ _ Architectural beige  _ caught me by surprise. Anyway, it’s a better canvas to work with.”

“It’s a _ box _ .”

“They’ll add shutters. It’ll be great.”

Bucky frowned and took another bite. They were starting to scrape the bottom of the carton. 

It was the closest they’ve ever been. Bucky had stretched his legs out onto the ottoman while Lei draped hers over the back of the sectional. Her head just brushed his thigh. Bucky could ignore it for HGTV.

“Lemme get some more.” She made grabby hands, reaching up for him to give her the ice cream.

“There’s not a lot left.” He handed it over.

“Do you mind if I have the rest of it?”

He shook his head. “Go ahead.”

“What a gentleman.”

“That house is ugly. You should be the one remodeling houses,” Bucky complained and folded his arms. “Your place is way better than anything this person’s done.”

“You really think so?”

“I love it here.” It slipped out without him realizing. A blush rose in his cheeks and he looked away. Lei sat up and touched his arm. Reluctantly, he glanced back. 

“I’m really glad, Buck,” Her eyes were warm. “And I’m really glad you’re here, too.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do.”

“I’ve been avoiding you.”

“You were taking your time, I don’t blame you for that,” She shrugged. “I wanted you to have a place where you could….adjust, you know? And when you stayed, it made me happy that I was providing that for you.”

Bucky swallowed, but despite his anxiety managed a small smile. “It reminds me of Wakanda here, a little,” He admitted. “With all the plants. And the floors creak like my home in Brooklyn,” He picked up a pillow and placed it on his lap. “And you have a lot of books. I missed reading.”

“Yeah, I noticed you were a science nerd,” She grinned. “Wouldn’t have taken you as one.”

“Apparently I was one back in the 40’s, too.”

“Glad to hear you were always a dork.”

“If I’m a dork, then what are you? You have a degree in  _ robotics _ .”

“It makes me terrible at parties.” He laughed.

“I don’t think I’d be much good at them either.”

“We can be bad together, then.” She punched his shoulder affectionately. His smile was genuine when he murmured-

“I like the sound of that.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

Peter was hurt.

That wasn’t a new thing to him. He was Spiderman, has been for a few years now, pain kinda came with the territory. It wasn’t so bad, his healing factor healed injuries that should’ve lasted weeks in a matter of hours, so if he ever  _ did _ get seriously injured, it was never for very long.

Sometimes, though…

“Um, excuse me?” Peter, as casually as he could, tapped the shoulder of a passing waiter. He was a bit intimidating, Scottish looking, taller than even Mr. Rogers and just as broad. But he smiled, and Peter felt a little more secure.

“Hey, little man!” The waiter joked. He had an accent Peter couldn’t place. “If you want to stay, you gotta get the wristband that shows you’re a minor.” Peter puffed up indignantly.

“I’m not little!”

“Maybe not, but you’re still young!” The waiter, Richie as his nametag labeled him, laughed.

“I’m not here to drink!” Peter’s face was red from the teasing, embarrassed and nursing a bruised ego as well as a slashed shoulder. “I’m here to see Lei! She said she’d be here.”

“The boss?” Richie furrowed his eyebrows. “Are you sure?” Peter nodded. “I’d have to check….”

“No worries,” A new voice interjected, one that Peter vaguely recognized. A black man with bright eyes approached them, waving an appeasing hand in Richie’s direction. It was Ben. “I can vouch for him. Lei’s in her office, I’ll text her that you’re coming.”

“Thank you, Mr. Amistad.”

“Just Ben, you’ve seen me enough to call me by my first name.”

“Mr.Ben.” A little teasing, a little bit of that politeness that May and  _ Uncle _ Ben had drilled into him. This Ben sighed.

“Progress, at least. Come on, Rich. Leave the kid be.”

Peter stammered a few more thank you’s before pushing his way through the crowd, trying not to aggravate his injured shoulder too much.  _ The Reverie _ was popular, especially on weekends, and it was hard not to get jostled by the waitstaff and slightly drunk patrons. He hoped his shirt wasn’t too stained with blood.

Lei’s office was on the top floor, right next to the roof access. Usually he would’ve come in through there, but his shoulder made swinging over agony. Instead he had to brave the subway and try to stem the blood flow with paper towels stolen from the closest pizzeria. 

Not his best moment.

“Get in, let’s see the damage,” Lei met him as he ducked into the employee-only area. She stood waiting outside her door. He gratefully slipped in before her, familiar enough with the room to not be shy about entering it, and collapsed in one of the chairs. “Where is it?”

“Shoulder.”

Lei hissed sympathetically as she closed the door behind her. She wasted no time in rifling through her desk drawer and pulling out an impressive first-aid kit. “Alright, shirt off. Let’s see what we have to deal with.”

The first time he came to her, that order made him flush pink from head to toe. Now, he wrestled off his shirt as best he could, ears still warm but otherwise fine.

“Yeesh. I can see why you didn’t want to go to May,” Lei grit her teeth while she inspected the wound. “This is a stiches boy, right here.”

He deflated. “Really?”

“Unless you want me to wrap it up in bandages until you look like the Marshmallow Man, but that’s not very inconspicuous,” She shrugged and brought out disinfectant and cotton pads. “How’d you get it?”

“I tried to stop a mugging and the guy slashed me.”

“Through the suit?” Lei narrowed her eyes, but Peter merely shrugged-only to wince as he aggravated his wound. It confused him as much as her.

“Well that’s...strange, but not embarrassing. Why didn’t you go to my dad?”

“Mr. Stark…has a lot on his plate right now,” Lei’s face fell slightly at his words. “I didn’t want to bother him.”

“Right,” She sighed as she cleaned his wound and put on some form of local anesthesia. The disinfectant stung, but then his shoulder numbed and the skin was left cold. He put on a brave face, or he thought he did. “Quit pouting,” There was amusement in her words. “I’ll make you a rootbeer float after this.”

“I’m not 5!” He was very excited for that rootbeer float. Lei said nothing, merely biting back a smile as she got a needle ready.

“Okay, I’ll try to be quick. Ready?”

That rootbeer float better be laced with  _ gold _ . Even if he couldn’t feel it (he didn’t know what Lei used and at this point was too scared to ask), he still  _ loathed _ needles. Peter nodded and squeezed his eyes shut. A little involuntary whimper left his lips when he felt the needle push into his skin for the first time.

“You’re doing good. No pain, right?” He shook his head. Just the sensation. “Tell me about school? How’s Ned and Michelle?”

“Fine,” His voice wavered a little, so he cleared his throat and tried again. “Fine. One of Michelle’s pieces won first place in the art show.”

“You should see if she’d let me take a look. I’ve been meaning to change up the decor around here. Maybe I could commission something.”

“R-really?! That’d be awesome! I mean, she doesn’t want to sell out to The Man, but you’re not the man and I think if she met you she’d know that you’re really cool-”

“Peter.”

“What?” In his confusion, he opened his eyes. Lei was away from his arm, digging through the first aid kit again and getting bandages. “Oh.”

“Told you I’d be quick,” Her bloody gloves were already in the trash can and she was already wrapping up his newly stitched shoulder. “No swinging around for a couple days, don’t want this shit tearing. Your suit’s in the bag?”

“Yeah.”

She pulled it out, looking at the damage and frowning. “You know, you should  _ really  _ go to my dad.”

“I don’t want him to yell at me.” Peter said meekly. She gave him a look.

“Has he done it recently?” She asked, genuinely worried. 

“No, but…” He made a noise that summed up his feelings. Lei pressed her lips together.

“Fine, I think I can fix it. It won’t be as fast, though, Spiderman will have to go on vacation for a couple of days,” Peter groaned, but didn’t argue any further than that. Lei folded up the suit and shoved it in her own bag. A heavy-duty Swissgear. He wondered what she needed something like that for. Didn’t women carry purses? “Let’s get some sugar in you and I can drive you home.”

* * *

 

Lei got an earful from May, getting something along the lines of “ _ Everytime. Everytime a Stark shows up on my doorstep it’s because Peter got dragged into some trouble!”.  _ Thankfully, she was only talking about his breaking curfew instead of the row of stitches hidden under Peter’s (fresh) shirt. Lei was sure she’d get much more than a scolding if May found out she performed minor surgery on her nephew. But after many sheepish apologies, Peter was released to his room, May was grudgingly placated, and Lei managed to escape the Parker residence without a broken jaw. As she was heading down the stairs, she caught sight of the junior waving from his bedroom window with his good arm. She grinned and waved back. Then, she pulled on her helmet, mounted her bike, and sped off to her own home.

When she arrived, she pressed a button on her helmet and activated her garage door. The interface within the visor alerted her to different aspects of her house—which lights were on, what she needed to get at the store, what was broken—though at the moment, only the first part mattered. The living room lights were on, which meant Bucky was still up.

Lei was quick to park her bike and to take Peter’s suit from her backpack. She laid it out on the worktable. It was scanned and hologram popped up, one that Lei could manipulate and interact with. However she shut quickly shut it down, deciding to deal with the issue once it wasn’t nearly 1 in the morning. Instead she lugged her backpack back over her shoulder and took the elevator to the landing right outside her living room door. Once she stepped out and the elevator door shut, it seemed to melt back into the wall and disappear completely.

“I’m home!” She called out once she opened the door. Bucky looked up from his place on the couch and lifted a hand in greeting.

“Leftovers are in the fridge. It’s chicken.” She pressed a hand to her chest and let her eyes close in reverence.

“You are a blessing, Buck. Seriously.” He rolled his eyes and waved her off, not able to hide the shy smile on his face.

“Go eat,” Lei managed to make it to the kitchen before she heard him call “-and don’t just drop your backpack on the floor!”

“I would never!” She called back, heaving her backpack up from the floor just in time to put it on the kitchen counter. When she pulled open the fridge, Lei realized Bucky didn’t just save the leftovers. He made a plate for her and wrapped it, neat portions of chicken, rice, and beans clearly visible through the plastic. Something warm and gooey made its way through her chest, and an involuntary noise of delight made its way from her mouth.

“The counter’s not much better.”

Lei gasped and whirled around, heart pounding. Bucky was standing in front of her looking startled and with his hands up in surrender. “Fuck, okay, I’m putting a bell on you, you walk too fucking quietly.”

He laughed softly. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” He reached for her backpack and held it out to her. “I can take care of your dinner while you get yourself ready.” 

“Really?” Again, that feeling returned.

“It’s no problem, really.” 

“Thanks, Bucky,” She took the bag. “I won’t be long.”

Lei tried to stay true to her word, shucking off her day clothes and showering as quickly as she could. Her hair caused for a bit of a snag, the length and  _ sheer amount _ of curls on her head called for dedicated—and time consuming—care.

“I’m gonna cut this shit off,” She vowed under her breath as she finally stepped out of her bathroom. “I swear l—Bucky?!” She called down her open door, hoping her shriek could be heard two floors down.

“What?!” He called back.

“I’m gonna cut off my hair!”

“Don’t do that!”

“Wh-? Oh my god, this is stupid,” Lei groaned to herself. “Hold on!” She shouted. “I’m coming down in just a sec!”

She stumbled down the stairs in her pajamas and her hair clipped in different places. He snickered at the sight. “Lovely as always.”

“Shush. Bucky, why don’t you think I should cut off my hair?”

“Why do you  _ want  _ to?”

“I managed to wash my body in 10 minutes and doing my hair took another 20.”

‘But it’s pretty,” He pouted, oh my god he pouted. “I don’t mind waiting.”

Lei was rendered speechless. She stared at him, amazed by his sincerity and a little embarrassed. He seemed to realize what he said too, judging by the flush that spread on his cheeks. He cleared his throat.

“Your dinner’s ready, by the way.”

“Great, great!” She was glad for the diversion. “So uh, what’d you do today?”

“Nothing much,” he shrugged. “Read. Watched movies.”

“Jesus, you need to get out—though, admittedly, that’s my fault. I’ve haven’t taken you out,” She smiled apologetically. “Is there anything you wanna do? We can go out tomorrow.”

Bucky hesitated. She could see that something came to mind by the way his eyes lit up, but by the way he bit his lip he didn’t want to say. Lei narrowed her eyes. “I can’t…  _ really  _ think of anything.”

“Uh huh,” Lei folded her arms. “Sure. Spill, Buck. No judgement.”

“I…” He visibly struggled. “I kinda wanna go running?”

“You’re kidding me.”

“You said no judgment!” His ears were pink.

“I was thinking you wanted to, like, go to a strip club.”

“What? No!”

“Running? Of all things?”

“I’m getting restless!” He was getting defensive, curling slightly in on himself and voice getting softer. Lei’s teasing indignation faded. She placed a hand on his shoulder, stiffening his spine. Immediately, she pulled away, murmuring an apology. He looked shyly back at her.

“Hey, I’m not— I’m not bashing, really,” she tried to reassure him softly. “I’m just surprised. We can go tomorrow.”

“We don’t have to-“

“I think we do, especially since I made you feel bad about it.” She smiled warmly. He smiled weakly back. “Do you have work-out gear?”

“ …Not really.”

“What?”

“I don’t have a whole lot of clothes,” he admitted sheepishly. “Most of them were traditional Wakandan robes and I left them there.”

“Okay,” Lei grinned. “Change of plans. Tomorrow we go shopping—Queer Eye the shit outta you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Oh you will.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This one is a little short, but it marks the end of what I'd like to think of an introduction period--the story will really start pushing forward after this now that everything is in place

Tony had held out for two months. Anger turned to despair turned to indignance, and his damaged pride locked his daughter out of his tower and ignored her calls. The first month, it was like Lei was 14 again and he had grounded her, but instead of stopping her from going out, he was stopping her from coming in. Putting it like that, it wasn’t  _ so _ bad. He even got a strange, bitter sort of glee out of it.  _ He  _ was the parent, not the other way around, as Pepper had told him furiously one night after she watched him decline Lei’s call.

Then the second month rolled around.

The anger and hurt started to stale the further he got from the initial confrontation. The feelings weren’t as big, not as all-consuming, and this gave room for something new;  _ worry _ .

His little girl was currently living with the man who killed her grandparents. She was alone, with no way of protecting herself, with one of the deadliest assassins of the modern era. Tony was kept up at night running possible scenarios — from Bucky hurting her, to seducing her, to seducing her and  _ then _ hurting her — and when he did finally drift off, he was woken up by nightmares.

_ You should’ve been there. _

_ You should’ve saved me. _

_ Why did you leave me?! _

He started losing sleep. He stopped snapping at people, mostly because he didn’t have the energy to, and locked himself away to improve the protection protocols on his suits. Pepper was worried, Rhodey was worried, hell, even  _ Steve _ came down to check on him. Tony knew the best way to lift some of his worries was to just  _ call _ , but second to their genius, Stark’s were famous for the stubbornness. So he didn’t. 

Tony found himself in the kitchen one day, tiredly stealing a box of lucky charms to bring back down with him. The closest kitchen was in one of the common rooms, and at this point he couldn’t be fucked to go the extra mile to his own personal one. Conversation drifted in from the dining room, Sam and Nat speaking in hushed tones.

“Did you see that black eye?”

“I’ve seen worse.”

“Well you’re a kick-ass assassin. She’s a  _ bar-owner _ . You think there was a fight at the bar?”

“Wouldn’t be surprised. It’s a popular place, a brawl’s bound to break out.”

You couldn’t blame Tony for jumping to conclusions. Not for dropping the cereal, or for rushing to the garage, or for fumbling with his car keys because his hands were shaking too hard. You couldn’t blame him for pushing everything aside because his daughter was hurt and he needed to help her.

_ The Reverie _ still got good business during the daytime. When not serving alcohol or hosting events, it was a restaurant—and a pretty good one at that. He pushed through the front door and was met with the hostess.

“Can I help you?” She seemed like a nice enough girl, but Tony didn’t have time for it.

“I need to see my daughter, excuse me.” He tried to walk past her.

“Sir, you can’t-” She caught sight of someone from the bar. Tony followed her line of sight to see Ben standing behind the counter, cutting a hand through his neck. They had met a few times, enough for Ben to recognize Tony as Lei’s father. Ben made a ‘wave him through’ motion, and the hostess hesitantly stood down. “I guess you can.”

“Thank you.” Tony said shortly, heading towards the back and up the stairs. His nerves started crawling the closer he got to Lei’s office. His imagination started to run wild with images of her broken and bruised, barely able to hold a pen in her pain-

“Dad?”

He opened her door to find out that Lei was fine. Completely. She was at her desk, pouring over paperwork from the looks of it, and without so much as a paper cut on her body. All the tension left his body. All shame gone, he pushed forward and grabbed her into a hug, startling an ‘oh!’ from her as she was awkwardly pulled from her chair. 

“Uh, dad?”

“Thank god you’re okay.” He breathed.

“Why… wouldn’t I be?”

“Nat and Sam were talking about a bar-owner with a black eye. I thought-I thought they meant you.”

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “I haven’t seen them around here in a bit— well,” She tilted her head. “I’ve seen Sam, but that was a week ago, and even then I didn’t have any kind of bruising.”

“So they were lying?” Irritation sparked in his gut. 

“They might have gone to Gina.”

“Who?”

“Owns  _ Gina’s _ ?” Lei rose an eyebrow, unimpressed. “She got mugged a few days ago, they might’ve gone to her bar and seen the shiner.”

“But you’re okay?” Tony asked again. 

“Yeah?” She eyed him suspiciously. “Not that I’m not touched, but I don’t think a black-eye is worth you dropping everything and coming to my bar.”

Tony didn’t answer for a second, pressing his mouth into a firm line, then opening it, then closing it again. Lei didn’t back down in his silence. She watched him steadily. “Can’t I just say I was worried?” He finally asked.

“You worry all the time,” She said. “But I’ve also gotten hurt worse than a black eye and those times got less of a response.”

He wished, momentarily, that Lei wasn’t so  _ sharp _ . He wished that she was content with his explanation and left it at that, let him fuss over her with no more issue and let things return to the way they were. He sighed. “I was worried… I was worried that Barnes-”

“Oh my god,” She pushed away from chair to stand, hands on her hips and glaring. “Are you serious?”

“Can you blame me!?” He snapped.

“A little!” She pressed a hand to her forehead as if to stave off a migraine. “I haven’t seen you months. You decline my calls, lock me out of the tower, and now the thing that finally brings you out is a chance to say that you were right?!”

“No, that’s not what I meant!”

“Are you sure?! ‘Cause that what it looks like!”

“I was afraid that I left you alone with him!” He tried to explain. “That because I wouldn’t talk to you, he could hurt you without me knowing!”

“You’re not-!” She groaned, burying her face in her hands and snarling. “You’re not this magic buffer, dad! If he wanted to hurt me, he would, but he won’t, because he’s a good guy!”

“He killed your grandparents! You’ll never meet your grandmother because of him!”

“Because of HYDRA, dad!”

“I can’t lose you too, Leilani!” His voice cracked and frayed with panic. Lei drew back, a little startled. He took the opportunity to grasp at her arms. “I can’t—I couldn’t protect my parents, but I can protect you—I  _ promised _ to protect you.” He looked into her eyes, desperate for some sort of understanding. “If you died the same way they did, it would break me. I’m your father, I’m supposed to protect you, and I can’t—” His voice cracked again. “I can’t risk letting you get hurt.”

Lei closed her eyes. She took a steadying breath and gently pried away his hands. “You’ll always be my dad,” She conceded. “But you can’t always be my protector.”

“You can’t—”

“I  _ can _ ,” Lei gripped his shoulders. “I’m an adult, you gotta let me be one.”

“You’ll get hurt.” He said helplessly.

“Then I get hurt, and that’s on me,” She smiled reassuringly. “You don’t have to be my hero by saving me. You already were by just… being my dad.”

Despite the tears and the worry, Tony couldn’t help a breath of laughter from leaving his lips. “Terrible taste in heroes.”

“I don’t think so,” Lei pulled him into a hug. “They can be a little… misguided, but I know they mean well.”

He accepted the hug, holding her close and pressing his cheek to her hair. “I don’t think I can stop worrying.” he admitted softly.

“I don’t think I can stop you _ from _ worrying.”

“Tell me if things start to be too overwhelming.”

“Only if you do.”

“Leilani-”

“Anthony-” She mimicked. He frowned at her. “I’m serious. You can’t expect me to go to you if you’re not willing to do the same. Talk to me, or a therapist, just  _ someone _ . Someone to help take the world off your shoulders.”

“Since when did you get more mature than me?” He joked weakly.

“Since you locked me out of the tower—which was rude, by the way.” Her tone was light.

“I’m sorry, that was—that was petty.”

“Yeah, it really was,” She smiled. “I think I can forgive you if you undo it, though.”

“I think I can do that.”


	7. Chapter 7

_ “I tried to stop a mugging and the guy slashed me.” _

_ “Through the suit?” _

Lei looked over the diagram of Peter’s suit, a frown on her face. Even though she’d fixed it and had given it back a while ago, something still nagged at her, drew her down to her lab and left her looking over the notes she took. The knife had cut a clean tear through the material, slicing easily through what was _ supposed _ to be armor. KAREN’s data showed that the suit barely resisted it at all. If the mugger decided to stab Peter? Lei couldn’t contain a wince at the thought. 

It was strange, though. The suit was made with vibranium threads, woven so tight and carefully that it  _ should’ve _ protected against bullets and blades. The only thing that could’ve possibly cut through it was more vibranium, but even that would’ve left a much more jagged mark. Her frown deepened and she pulled out her phone. After a long time ringing, the other end picked up.

“Hey Peter? You busy?”

“It’s the middle of the day, Lei!” He sounded a little panicked, whispering into the receiver.

“And?”

“It’s wednesday! I have school!”

“Are you having this conversation in class?”

“No….I pretended to go to the bathroom,” He grumbled. “But I can’t talk for very long.”

“I won’t talk for very long. Does KAREN record your encounters?”

“I think so. Mr. Stark mentioned that she has a camera. I think he’s the only one who can access it though.”

“Eugh,” She ran a hand over her face. She really should be resting, and this was doing nothing but exhaust her more. “That’s gonna make things difficult.”

“I thought you and Mr. Stark made up?”

“We  _ did _ , but he still doesn’t know about your last little  _ incident _ . Unless you told him, of course.”

“I didn’t, though why are you still thinking about that? What’s wrong?” She could hear threads of anxiety making their way through his voice.

“I’m just curious about something,” Lei soothed him, collapsing in her chair and sliding in front of her computer. “If it’s important, I’ll let you know. Get back to class, alright?”

“Alright. Bye Lei!”

“Bye, kiddo.” The line went dead and she pressed her phone to her lips, deep in thought. She could hack her dad, but she was nowhere near talented enough to leave no trace. They were still on rocky footing, and that would surely set off another fight. Leaving it alone was not an option, either. It’d nag at her forever. She sucked in a breath and called her dad.

“Sweetheart! How are you?”

“Good, uh, I have a question.”

“Uh oh.” He said playfully. Lei managed a smile.

“You have access to KAREN’s footage, right? Peter mentioned it to me. Why?”

“It’s uh—” Tony had the grace to sound embarrassed. “It’s part of the babysitting protocol. It his suit records danger to his vitals, it sends a live feed. I haven’t gotten any alerts lately, though.”

“Jesus, dad.” Lei pinched the bridge of her nose.

“You might be an adult, but he isn’t!” He argued. “It’s just to make sure he doesn’t get himself into too much trouble.” Lei noticed Peter had monitoring systems in his suit, and this explained why they were turned off. He’d rather have a handicap than deal with her father’s hovering. It also meant Tony truly didn’t know what happened.

“Right, whatever. Can I get access to that footage? Peter wanted me to see if I recognized someone. Apparently there was a mugging near my bar.” The lie rolled effortlessly off her tongue, and a familiar pang of guilt thudded against her chest.

“Is the kid alright?”

“He’s fine.” Save for a wound that took longer than normal to heal, another reason why Lei wanted to look further into what cut him. “What do you say?”

“Uh, sure, let me just send it over to your computer. When?”

“It’s sometime 3 weeks ago, I can’t remember exactly when. I’d call Peter, but he’s in school and I doubt he’d remember the exact date either.”

“That’s a lot of footage.”

“I have time.”

“Alright, it’s sent.” Sure enough, there was a notification on her screen. She breathed out a sigh. 

“Thanks dad, you’ve helped a lot.”

“Are you coming to dinner tonight?”

“Yup. Love you, see you soon.”

“Love you too, Sweets.”

Lei hung up and rubbed her eyes. Her sleep schedule was five levels of fucked, even for her, and it was starting to take a toll. She sighed and stretched, tossing her phone onto the table.

“You look terrible.”

Lei gave a slight start and swiveled, glaring at Runa as she stepped out of the elevator. Lei could see from her chair that the glowing doorway didn’t lead to an elevator car, rather a rustic looking living room. The light began to shrink, hiding more of the living room until it was gone completely. She turned back to the computer. “I should’ve never put that doorway in.” She grumbled.

“You don’t mean that.” Runa said easily. “What are you doing down here? Where’s lover-boy?”

“ _ Bucky’s  _ at therapy,” Lei started to sort through the video files, locating the exact date she wanted. “I had a question that needed answering.” Runa rose an eyebrow.

“When was the last time you slept?”

“Last night.”

“For how long?” Lei fell silent. Runa gave her a reprimanding frown.

“Leilani—”

“ _ Don’t,”  _ Lei ordered. Runa rose an eyebrow at her. “I know, I just… something’s bugging me and I need to figure it out. I promise once I do, I’ll take a nap.” She didn’t look completely convinced, but to Lei’s relief, let the issue drop. “Do you know of anything that can cut Vibranium?”

“More Vibranium.”

“No—“ Lei groaned. “I meant something not from this universe. From Faerune, maybe? Or something Olympian?”

“Not many people get the chance to compare them.” Runa admitted,  taking the spare seat beside her. “Luciana’s regulations make it hard for  _ anything _ to come through, much less weapons.”

“That’s one thing I won’t complain about,” Lei’s eyes stayed focused on her computer, scrubbing through hours of footage to try and find the right time. “Though, That doesn’t mean someone couldn’t smuggle something through. It just means they won’t talk about it. Here we go.” She stopped scrubbing, letting the footage play normally and turning the volume up. Peter’s humming of ‘Dancing Queen’ was loud and clear. Runa couldn't contain a snort.

“The hero we need.”

“Let him have his fun.” Lei leaned forward to get a closer look at what happens next. It was dark, leaving the altercation hard to see, but something about it was off. “Does that look like a mugging to you?” She asked.

“I don’t know, I’ve never been mugged.”

“Guess you don’t wander around New York enough. Cute looking thing like you? Prime target.”

“I’m hundreds of years older than you.”

“Doesn’t mean you don’t have a cute face. But seriously,” Lei pauses the video. “He’s got the victim pinned, he has the upper hand, but he doesn’t seem bothered when the victim doesn’t pull out any money. They just keep talking like that.”

“That is weird.” Runa leaned forward as well. Lei hit play again and Peter shouted, startling the mugger and the victim. A scuffle ensued, the victim running when he had the chance. His escape is what distracted Peter and gave the mugger a chance to slash at him. Both women winced at his scream of pain. Lei paused, then went back frame by frame until she got the best view of the knife. “Is that a human design?”

“I don’t think so,” she squinted at the blurry image. “Novelty, maybe, but not in anything you’d use for a mugging. Or to threaten someone.”

“Money’s not the goal here.”

“No, I don’t think it is.”

“So it’s Magical trying to intimidate a human?”

“Or another Magical. Why, though? And even smuggled, that’s a hardcore knife for just  _ anyone  _ to have—“

“Lei?” Bucky’s voice rang out over the speaker system. Immediately, Lei switched windows on her computer to the camera watching the front door. Bucky and Dr. Freeman were heading into the living room. She swore and looked to Runa.

“Can you—?”

“Already gone. I’ll look around for different knife types, see what I can come up with.” Runa was at the elevator again, the living room once more in view. Lei barely had enough time for a quick ‘thank you’ before she stepped through and disappeared with it. Lei quickly gave the order to shut everything down before disappearing herself, leaving the lab dark.

“Are you home?” She heard Bucky ask again as she reappeared in her room.

“Yeah, sorry, just a second!” She quickly rushed downstairs, skidding to a stop on the last step. “Had my headphones in. Hey Dr.Freeman, how are you?” She waved sheepishly, a little out of breath.

“I’m good, how are you?” He smiled.

“Great, how’s the wife?”

“A little tired, but other than that she’s handling the pregnancy well.”

“Thought of any names yet?”

“Not yet.”

“You’re always free to take Leilani.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He turned to his patient, who smiled weakly at him. “You’re making great progress, Bucky. I’ll see you next week.”

“Thank you.”

“Goodbye, both of you.” Dr. Freeman gave one final wave before leaving, the door shutting behind him. There was a moment of silence, then Bucky turned to Lei.

“ ‘You’re always free to take Leilani’? Really?” He teased.

“I’m charming and a great conversationalist,” Lei pressed a haughty hand to her chest. “Dr. Freeman seemed to respond well.”

“He was being polite.” Bucky’s smile turned sly. She stepped from the last step to poke him in his chest.

“I’m the charm-master.”

“Uh huh.”

“Men and women alike fall at my feet.”

“Sure,” He grinned. It fell, however, when he really took in her face. “Are you okay? You look tired.”

“You too, huh?” Lei sighed. He furrowed his eyebrows. “Thanks, Buck, but I’m fine.”

“You have bags under your eyes.” His hands came up to cup her jaw so he could inspect her face further. Lei immediately stiffened, surprised by the boldness of the action. “Oh, I’m—” He flushed and drew away. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think—”

“No! I was just surprised.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed. That seemed to do the trick, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “But seriously, I just had a bad night’s sleep. I’m fine.”

“Do you want to take a nap? We still have some time before—“

“It’s okay, Buck. I’ll make up for it tonight. Thank you for worrying.” She gave him a smile. He looked her up and down before hesitantly nodding. 

“If you’re sure.”

“I am. Love this shirt, by the way.”

“Thanks, a friend picked it out for me.” 

“They have great taste.”

“Apparently it makes me look  _ yoonguh _ .”

Lei snorted, covering her mouth to hide her laughter. “That was a terrible impression.”

“I sounded just like you!”

“To be fair,  _ I  _ was doing a terrible impression as well,” She unconsciously smoothed out some wrinkles. “Do you need help getting ready?”

“Excuse me?” His cheeks turned red. Lei realized what she said.

“I mean choosing your suit! Not dressing you, jesus, get your mind out of the gutter.” Lei was glad she couldn’t blush.

“Sorry,” He said hesitantly, still flustered. “I—if you want, you can help. You don’t have to.”

“I offered, didn’t I?”

“But what about you? Don’t you have to get ready too?”

“I’m not as helpless.” She grinned as he playfully narrowed his eyes at her.

“You trying to start something, Stark?”

“Yes. Get you started on choosing some ties.” She gently pushed him towards his bedroom door. “Now I’m thinking of something grey for the suit.”

*~*

“I hate this.” Bucky grumbled.

“Yeah…” Lei rubbed the back of her neck. “I’m not fond of this either.”

It was fun playing dress-up, choosing ties and dress shirts for Bucky to wear. It also was a nice bonus to see the result. But the weight of the dinner soon fell heavily on both of their shoulders. UN representatives were coming to check on the returned heroes progress, and that meant formality. It also meant Bucky being in close proximity with Tony Stark.

Tony and Lei had made up, sure, but she was his daughter. No one knew if his opinion of Bucky had changed, neither man seeing each other since the move and neither man really  _ speaking  _ of the other. As they stood in the elevator, heading up, Bucky was visibly nervous about being in the same room as Tony again.

“Hey,” Lei rested a hand on his bicep. He looked down at her. “It’ll be okay, alright?” She promised him. “My dad’s going to behave himself, and if he doesn’t, the others and I will run interference. I promise.”

He nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah,” He smiled at her and placed his hand over hers, gently pinning it to his arm. “Thank you. You look beautiful, by the way.”

“Oh I know.” She grinned at him. That got a laugh. “You look very handsome yourself.”

“Thank you.”

The doors open, and despite their conversation, Bucky stiffened. Lei sighed. “Show time, I guess.” Her hand left his arm. She missed the look of longing that flashed across his face.

“Can you—?” He cleared his throat. Lei looked at him questioningly. He couldn’t seem to get the words across. “Nevermind.” He moved to walk forward, but Lei stayed put, gears turning in her head as she considered what he might’ve wanted to say.

“Are you sure?” She finally asked. He nodded quickly.

“Yeah, let’s just get this over with.” 

Lei pressed her lips together, but didn’t say anything else. Bucky waited, shuffling his feet and not meeting her eyes. Finally, she caught up with him and kept in step when Bucky started walking once more. However, this time she rested a gentle touch on his back, fingertips brushing along the small of it. She gave him ample chance to step away. Instead he pressed in, firming up the touch. Underneath her hand, she felt his muscles relax slightly. 


	8. Chapter 8

Bucky wanted to go home.

His suit was stuffy and it felt like people were staring at him. It wasn’t just paranoia, either. He caught people giving him side-glances, the representatives and the bodyguards visiting to see the Avenger’s ‘progress’. They were as wary of him as he was of them. That wasn’t comforting in the slightest. What was comforting was Lei.

She was pulled away by her father(and Bucky didn’t miss the suspicious glare Tony tossed his way as he did so) to mingle. Bucky watched as she met Scott Lang for the first time, soon talking animatedly like old friends. Something twinged in his stomach at her smile.

“You look good, Buck.” he tore his gaze away to see Steve approaching him.

“Thanks, Lei helped me pick out the suit.” 

A strange look flashed across Steve’s face, a flicker of a smile that he quickly schooled into neutrality. “Really? Well she did a good job, but that wasn’t exactly what I was talking about.”

“Oh.” Bucky flushed. Steve watched him closely, making Him shift in discomfort. 

“Or  _ is _ it what I’m talking about?”

“What?”

“I was going to say you seemed happier, and maybe it’s the for same reason you’re dressed so nice.” The smile returned, sly and teasing. Bucky turned redder.

“You  _ punk _ .” Steve laughed as his friend pushed him, hard enough to make him sway but not enough to knock him off balance. His expression turned sincere. 

“It’s not a terrible thing, you know.”

“What? We’re just friends.”

“Uh huh.” He rose an eyebrow.

“I liked you better when you were smaller. Easier to knock some sense into you.” Bucky grumbled, sipping at his water. Steve laughed again.

“Steve!”

Both men perked up at the sound of Lei’s voice. Bucky couldn’t help but soften at the sight of her. Beside him Steve snickered, and Bucky elbowed him in the side.

“I haven’t seen you in a while, how’ve you been?” Lei came in for a hug, and Steve accepted it readily. She held him at arm’s length and playfully clicked her tongue. “Damn. You super-soldiers need to wear suits more.”

“Thanks, Lei. I’ve been good. A little hurt I haven’t been invited drinking, yet.” It was a light-hearted comment, driven home by a fond grin.

“I thought that wasn’t your scene?”

“Just because I can’t drink doesn’t mean I don’t want to watch Sam sing ‘Dancing Queen’ at karaoke night.”

“Uh, why wasn’t I invited to this, either?” Bucky pouted, a face he knew would get a laugh out of her. He succeeded in getting a giggle. 

“To be fair to me, I didn’t expect him to get that drunk or to have that much range.”

“What was that?” Sam popped up next, easily slinging an arm around her shoulders, and the contentment Bucky felt quickly turned to envy. He liked Sam, he honestly considered him a good friend, but that didn’t change the fact that Sam did what Bucky wished  _ he _ could. 

“I think she said you were a bad singer.” Steve said. 

“No, I said I was surprised that you  _ weren’t.” _

“Both hurtful!”

“Baby.” Lei rolled her eyes. Bucky felt the weight on his chest lift somewhat when she winked at him. Then she shifted to touch his arm, for no other reason than to touch  _ him _ , and it felt like morphine in his veins. As the conversation continued, her hand stayed there. Her attention was pulled to arguing with Sam about musicals, the debate escalating until several people were called over to give their opinions, then shifting to discuss movies in general and then if Han  _ truly did  _ shoot first. All the while, her hand stayed there.

But dinner was called and the group reluctantly dispersed. Lei took away her hand and, flashing a reassuring smile Bucky’s way, went to find her seat. It probably wasn’t a coincidence that they ended up sitting at the opposite ends of the table.  Lei was bracketed by Tony and Rhodey and generally surrounded by the UN representatives. Bucky had Scott and Wanda, sitting with the other heroes of ‘Team Cap’. Even from so far away, he could still see the flicker of displeasure cross Lei’s face at the table arrangements. 

Dinner itself was tense. Before, both groups could keep their distance, but now, wedged at the same table, the discomfort was palpable. The food felt like sand in Bucky’s mouth. 

Then his phone vibrated. 

He glanced around, eyebrows furrowed. The only people who would text him were here with him, but no one gave indication that anything had changed. He glanced down to see who did.

_ Lei: Do you like pineapple on pizza? _

His eyes shot up to look at her. She met his gaze with raised eyebrows. He bit back a grin.

__ _ Bucky:I’ve never tried it, but I’ve heard that’s a divisive topic _

__ _ Lei: They’re weak. All of them _

__ _ Bucky: I’m guessing you like it _

__ _ Lei:It’s sweet, it’s savory, what’s to hate? _

__ _ Bucky: A lot, I can imagine. _

__ _ Lei: How dare you _

__ _ Lei:I’m adding Sam. He’ll back me up _

__ _ Bucky:Then I’m adding Steve. _

__ _ Lei: Do you even know how? _

__ _ Bucky: Was that sass? _

__ _ Lei: :3 _

Sam was added to the conversation

__ _ Sam: Pineapple is delicious you’re just  _ **_weak_ **

Steve was added to the conversation

__ _ Steve: This is a bad idea guys _

_ Steve: But, no it doesn’t belong _

__ _ Lei: Listen old man, get with the times. This is the era of innovation _

__ _ Steve: Innovation isn’t making pizza shitty _

__ _ Sam: Language _

__ _ Lei: Language _

__ _ Bucky: Language _

__ _ Steve: Fuck all of you _

__ _ Lei: You kiss your mother with that mouth? _

__ _ Steve: No _

__ _ Steve: I kiss your father with it instead _

__ Sam choked back a laugh, hiding it as a painful cough. The representatives gave him a dirty look, their conversation about tariffs having been interrupted. 

_ Lei: Steven _

_ Lei: I _

__ _ Lei: Am disgusted _

__ _ Bucky: I am too _

_ Bucky: I thought you had better taste :/ _

Now it was Steve’s turn to hide his laughter, pressing his a hand to his mouth. Clint gave him a questioning glance. Sam nudged him and showed him his phone from under the table. 

Clint was added to the conversation

_ Clint: Thank god, I thought I was going to die of boredom _

__ _ Lei: At least you guys are sitting together. Policy is boring, I wanna die _

__ “Is there something distracting you, miss Stark?”

Madame Genevieve brought Lei’s attention back up, and Bucky held his breath, expecting to get caught. However Lei kept a straight face as she said

“There’s an issue at my bar and I’m trying to sort it out. I’m sorry for being rude, would you rather I step away?”

“If you don’t mind.”

Lei nodded and gave an apologetic smile before pushing away from the table and leaving the room. The clack of her heels rang out in the quiet room. 

_ Clint: Holy shit _

__ _ Clint: Icy veins _

__ _ Lei: I’m bowing, you can’t see it, but trust me _

__ _ Steve: So you’re just bowing to nothing in a hallway? _

__ _ Sam: Lol _

__ _ Lei: Clint _

__ _ Clint: Yes? _

__ _ Lei: Pineapple on Pizza. Yay or nay _

__ _ Clint: The kids say nay, so I don’t get a chance to have my own opinion _

__ _ Clint: I have no identity _

__ _ Clint: This is the first time in months I’ve been called anything other than ‘honey’ and ‘Lila’s dad’. _

__ _ Steve: Are you okay? _

__ _ Clint: Fatherhood is a blessing _

__ _ Sam: I may be wrong but I think I see a single tear _

_ Bucky: I’m sitting across from him, I think I can too _

__ _ Clint:  _ **_Fatherhood is a blessing_ **

**** Bucky felt a tap on his shoulder. Now Wanda had noticed.

Wanda was added to the conversation

_ Wanda: I made Bucky add me, why are we talking on our phones? _

__ _ Steve: I think Lei got lonely _

__ _ Bucky: It’s also uncomfortably quiet and we don’t want the people who decide our fate hear us talk about pineapple pizza _

__ _ Wanda: Oh I like pineapple pizza _

__ _ Lei: THANK YOU _

__ _ Steve: Seriously, though, we’re gonna get caught. Not all of us have a lie ready like Lei. What would we say if we’re caught? _

__ _ Sam: They don’t care about us _

__ Rhodey cleared his throat and everyone looked up. He glared at them, eyes narrowed and scolding. Reluctantly, everyone slid away their phones and was left to eat with nothing to distract them. Bucky noticed that Lei had yet to return. 

 

In the bathroom, Lei hunched in the corner biting her nail. She waited for Ben to pick up. 

“Lei? I thought you were at dinner?”

“We have a problem.”


	9. Chapter 9

“What do you mean, problem?” Ben sounded concerned, the sound of the bar fading as he went somewhere quieter. Lei jiggled her knee. 

“Remember when Peter came by a few weeks ago?”

“He bled all over the floors.”

“Right—he said a guy cut through his suit, but it’s vibranium, that shouldn’t be possible.”

“Uh huh?”

“I sent you a picture of the footage from that night—his suit records everything. Look at the knife. when you up the exposure, doesn’t that design look familiar?”

There was a beat of silence as Ben searched for what she spoke of. Then he breathed, “oh  _ no.” _

_ “ _ Etherium can cut through vibranium. Do you know of any other Guardsmen who came to New York?”

“Not that I know of, I thought I was the only one,” Ben sounded concerned. “Even if there  _ were _ —when you leave, you turn in your weapons.  _ I  _ don’t even have my knife anymore.”

“So either he’s on the run, or on official guard business.” Lei pushed herself from her crouch to pace the room. “But why would official guard business look so  _ sketchy _ ?”

“I’ll ask Luciana if there have been any other guardsmen registered in New York. It’s a long shot, but it’ll help at least narrow down our options.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Lei paused, then dropped her voice. “Ben, I don’t like this.”

“Me neither. Something’s up.”

She drummed her fingers on the counter, biting her lip and frowning at her reflection in the mirror. Her trip to the bathroom wasn’t  _ actually supposed to be Reverie _ business, but the revelation hit her and she had to follow it. She didn’t realize how long she’d spent in the bathroom.

“Lei?” Her head whipped towards Pepper as she stepped into the bathroom, instinctively covering her phone with the palm of her hand. “Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” 

“I’m fine.” Lei smiled, tucking her phone away in her pocket (she’d perish before she got a dress without them).

“Are you sure?”

“Yep, just… the air out there, you know?” She turned to wash her hands, less to get herself clean and more to avoid Pepper’s gaze. “It’s rough.”

“No kidding,” Pepper agreed. “But you can’t just hide out in here.”

Lei groaned and reluctantly turned off the water. “It just  _ sucks _ . These people  _ suck _ . The government  _ sucks.”  _ She pressed a hand to her face and took a breath. “I’m sorry, I’ll come back out with you.”

“No need to apologize.”

Lei followed Pepper and returned to the dining room. It was just a quiet and tense as before, if not more so. She caught Bucky’s eye. His brows were furrowed in a wordless question of concern. Lei nodded his way, smiling softly, and he relaxed somewhat. 

“Must have been quite the emergency, Miss Stark,” Genevieve said. “I hope your bar is doing alright.”

“It’s doing just fine, there was a bit of a misunderstanding that needed to be sorted out.” Lei slid back into her chair. “Sorry for being gone for so long.”

*~*

“What if I don’t like it?”

“The fact that you’re even willing to try means the world to me,” Lei assured him, shifting the pizza boxes in her arms. “And if you don’t like it, that means a whole box for me. It’s a win-win.”

“For you.” He grinned.

“Absolutely for me.”

He chuckled and shifted the pizzas in his own hands.They fell silent again, walking on the sidewalk to the apartment.

“So…” Lei started. “That dinner…”

“I hope we don’t have to have another one.”

“I didn’t even eat anything, I was so uncomfortable.”

“Really?” Bucky gave her an odd look. “You looked pretty calm the whole time.” Lei shrugged.

“I mean, I had to,” She tried to explain. “I’m just a bar owner, yet I have all this clearance. On paper it makes no sense, you know? I couldn’t give them a reason to doubt me even more.” They had reached the door at this point. Her frame was slumped in frustration, defeat, even. 

“So why’d you risk texting us, then?”

She hesitated, not sure how to respond. Finally she said-“You guys looked like you needed the distraction.” It was a simple reason, and a stupid one, but Lei meant it. She looked up at Bucky to find his expression unreadable. She took a breath and quickly shoved her pizza into his arms. “Can you hold these? I need to get my keys.” She mumbled, hoping to distract him. He stayed silent. Then, she was startled by an arm awkwardly wrapping around her for a hug.

Lei froze. He rarely initiated touch, and if he did it was small gestures, nothing like this. “What’s this for?” She asked weakly. Bucky said nothing, only giving her a squeeze and letting go. She turned and stared dumbfounded. He blushed. 

“The pizza’s getting cold.” He mumbled bashfully. He didn’t meet her gaze. 

“ …right.” She fumbled for the handle and turned it, casting one last wide-eyed glance behind her before scaling the steps. The air had turned; what was once comfortable was now loaded with tension. Bucky drew back further in on himself than before, seemingly regretting his actions. The shock had faded and now Lei was regretting her own. Once they had reached the living room, she made a split second decision, just like he had. Before he could swerve around her to hide in the kitchen, she hugged him from behind, cheek squished flush against his shoulder blades. Bucky stiffened.

“You surprised me back there, but I really did like the hug.” Her voice was slightly muffled.

“Are you sure?” Quietly hopeful. 

She nodded. “You can hug me anytime.” Then she slipped away and in front of him, taking back her pizza boxes and smiling. He let out a relieved laugh.

“I was scared I overstepped.” He admitted.

“Never.” She reached and squeezed his wrist. “But I have to warn you, you opened a dam.”

“What do you mean?”

“ I’ve been holding back,” She warned playfully, walking backwards toward the kitchen as to keep facing him. “You have yet to see my true affection potential. I’m gonna hug the shit outta you now.”

He laughed for real this time, following her. “I’m so scared.”

“Oh, you should be. I’m talking cuddling, I’m talking hugs, I’m talking using you as a mattress. I’m a touch-starved little gremlin, you’ll see.”

“ _ A touch-starved little grem _ \- You’re really selling yourself.”

They set the pizzas on the counter, got plates, and loaded them up. Lei finally kicked off her heels, groaning appreciatively at her newly-freed toes.

“That’s not where shoes go.” Bucky complained, eyeing the heels as they sat in the middle of the floor.

“I’ll pick them up later.”

“You mean  _ I’ll  _ pick them up later.”

“They will be picked up later.”

Bucky rolled his eyes as they returned to the living room, collapsing on the couch and turning on the tv. It was his turn to take off his shoes.

“That’s not where shoes go.”

“Shut up.”

Lei grinned.


	10. Chapter 10

Lei woke up in crippling pain.

The thing about her job is that she had sustained nearly a decades worth of injuries; burns, cuts, bruises, and everything in between. They always healed, and few—if any—left a scar, but her body didn’t seem to want to let her forget how much they  _ fucking hurt _ .

An involuntary, choked whimper left her as she tried to move. Falling asleep on the couch was never a good idea for her, a risky gamble that she seemed to have lost this time around. Bucky was still asleep, head thrown back on the cushions, still undisturbed. 

Her joints screamed, her elbow in particular white hot and throbbing. She grasped onto it, but that only made it worse. She barely muffled another sound of pain. Her breathing came ragged and labored. It was always worse at the beginning. She knew it would eventually dull to a more manageable level,it always did, but right now 10 years worth of suffering was being thrown back over her like a wave and Lei felt like she was  _ drowning _ .

“Fuck.” She breathed. Her head bowed to her knees as she tried to just… manage. Her meds were in her room. There was no way she could manage stairs.

“Lei?” She bit back a groan. In her periferie, Bucky shifted and sat up.“Are you okay?” Anxiety bled from every syllable. 

“M’ fine.” She tried to keep her mouth as closed as possible as she spoke, feeling like she may vomit if given the chance.

“You don’t look fine,” She could feel him hover over her. “Sugar you don’t look fine at all.” At any other time she would’ve leapt at that nickname, but she just shook her head instead. 

“Buck—“

“Tell me what I can do to help,” he insisted. “Please.”

Another throb made her breath catch and she wheezed. It was a horrible sound. She didn’t answer for a few moments, hoping he would leave, but he sat his ground. She finally managed. “Get my medicine?”

“Of course,” He said immediately. “Where is it?”

“Blue bottle. My bathroom.”

He nodded and left, his absence making the pain somehow worse. She tried to focus on her breathing, or on counting back from 500, but the only distraction that seemed to work was Bucky.

“I’ve got them a-and I got some water too.” He knelt down in front of her. He touched her face and reluctantly she lifted it up. Before she could try and take the glass,however, he took the pills in his on fingers. “Open.” He instructed, holding her jaw lightly. Her eyebrow rose slightly as she hesitantly obeyed. He placed the meds on her tongue, then placed the glass of water to her lips. “Drink.” She did. The pain was still there, of course it was. Her head dropped back down and she hugged her arm closer to her. “I also brought you pjs.”

“I can’t—” Lei shook her head. “It hurts—”

“I know, but it might help.” It might, but the thought of trying to get out of her dress made her nauseous. She didn’t move, and Bucky furrowed his eyebrows. “Lei?”

“It hurts too much to move.” She said meekly. He pressed his hand to her cheek in sympathetic understanding , the metal one, and it gave blissful relief that made her eyes flutter shut.

“Is it okay if I do it, then?” She nodded slowly. His hands were feather light as they guided her arms enough for him to slip the sleeves over, then hesitantly, so hesitantly, he pulled the dress over her head. She could she he was trying not to look, but his eyes caught her elbow and he stopped.

“Your arm…”

Lei pulled it closer to her, shame mixing with the pain. The joint was pale, depigmented. Had the markinga come from vitiligo, she wouldn’t have cared, but it wasn’t, so she did.

Bucky noticed how she held it protectively. “Does it hurt a lot?” She nodded. He pressed his lips together and said nothing more, instead helping her into a large shirt. She couldn’t help but laugh.

“Is this yours?”

“By the time I thought to get you pajamas, I was already out of your room,” He admitted sheepishly. “Is it okay?”

“Yeah…”

“What…” he searched for the right words. “What usually makes it better?” She gave him a confused look. “How do you usually deal with the pain?”

“Lie down,” She said. “Wait.” His face fell at that. He sat helplessly for a moment, then asked. 

“Can I pick you up?”

“What?”

“I’m wanna get you to bed.”

She didn’t know how that would work. The meds were slowly starting to take effect, her breathing coming a little easier. He seemed emboldened by that. She was too. “You can try.” He did, and as slowly as he tried to do it, her joints immediately protested and she cried out. Tears involuntarily sprung from her eyes.

“Sorry,” He breathed, looking down at her. “I’m really sorry. I’m gonna try and walk, okay?” She nodded. Walking wasn’t so bad, especially with him checking in on her and talking the whole time. Then they reached the stairs. “You ready?” He asked.

Lei wasn’t. It was too much. She tried to muffle herself, but she bit her lip so hard it bled and then that was just another thing to add to her pain. She thought Bucky didn’t notice, but by the time they reached the next floor he shook his head.

“I’m putting you in my room.” He decided.

“No—”

“Sugar, you’re hurting,” There was that nickname again. “I’ll put you in my bed until you feel better. I don’t mind.”

“ _ Bucky— _ ”

“Lei,” He said firmly this time. He was already at his door and pushing it open. “You need to take care of yourself. Or let me do it.”

Bucky lowered her down onto the mattress and tugged the previously kicked-off comforter over her. “Can you stay?” She whispered. She felt like a child for asking. He smiled softly.

“Let me get changed, okay?” He touched her cheek again before grabbing his discarded pj pants from the floor and ducking into the bathroom. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on his muffled sounds, even managing a weak twitch of her lips when there was a bang and a muffled curse. Then the light that spilled out from under the door vanished and Bucky stepped back out.

“You could’ve just changed in here,” Lei mumbled. “You’ve already seen me in my underwear.” She couldn’t see his features in the dark, but she could imagine his pink cheeks. It seemed that the reality of the situation had dawned on him, and his embarrassment was starting to overtake his protective confidence. 

“Do you want me to sit next to you? Or—?” He was back next to her, crouching and waiting for a response.

“Just lie down with me.”

He swallowed. “Okay.”

He moved away from her line of view and the bed dipped as he climbed in. He didn’t touch her, but she could still feel him; his eyes, his warmth, his presence. 

“Bucky?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I have your left arm?”

“What?”

“I—” She sighed. “The cold… helps, sometimes.”

“Oh,” He sounded taken-aback. “Okay, Uh—” He scooted closer, a little awkward, a little clumsy, and then gingerly rested his arm around her waist. He still tried to keep his chest away from her. It didn’t seem like the best way to lie down.

“Is that comfortable?” Lei asked.

“No…”

“I don’t mind, just—just do what you need, okay?” It took him a second to act on her confirmation, but then gave in and pressed fully against her,his chest flush against her back. She took his metal hand and placed it on her elbow, covering the depigmentation. The pain thankfully cooled slightly under her touch, and she couldn’t help but let out a mumble in relief.

“Is it working now?”

“Yeah.” They fell silent. The air was tense and neither party knew how to go on from here. Lei still hurt, though it was slowly fading as her meds and time worked to dull her stinging nerves. Bucky was stiff, unsure of how to relax when in this position.

“What… is this?” Bucky finally asked softly. “What happened?”

Lei let her eyes slip closed. “I’m surprised you don’t know about chronic pain.”

“Yeah, but—why do you have it?”

“I don’t know,” She did. “I just do.”

He let out a shaking breath. “How often does it happen?”

“Every few weeks or so.”

“Has it happened since we started living together?” She didn’t answer, which confirmed his fears. He sounded hurt when he said— “Why didn’t you ask for help before?”

“I usually just deal with it alone.”

“Why?”

“I always have, I can manage.”

“That’s—” He was beginning to sound frustrated. “Bullshit.”

“Excuse me?”

“You keep telling me to ask for help, but you won’t do it yourself.”

“I don’t  _ need  _ it—”

“You could barely move when I first woke up!” His metal hand twitched over her arm, as if he wanted to tighten it but caught himself in time. He fell silent as he calmed himself. His next words were quiet. “I wanna help, Lei. You do enough for me, let me return the favor.” 

Usually she would’ve argued, would’ve fought more, but it was late (early) and she was tired and just didn’t have the energy. “Can I just go to sleep, right now?”

“Lei—”

“ _ Please _ ,” There was something desperate in her voice. “I’m just tired.” 

She could tell he didn’t want to drop it, but with a defeated sigh, he mumbled. “Fine. We’ll talk about this later.”

“Thank you.”

*~*

The second time Lei woke up, she felt much better.

The aches were still there, but she could at least  _ move,  _ which was a vast improvement to earlier. She rolled over onto her back, arm splaying over what was Bucky’s side of the bed, now empty. A sigh escaped her lips.

“Fuck.”

She slowly dragged herself to her feet, bracing her hand against her lower back to try and ease a particularly insistent twinge there. The floorboards creaked slightly as she looked around the room.

Bucky had made himself at home, made the apartment  _ his  _ home. Casual signs of living littered his bedroom. Clothes littered his floor (apparently his cleanliness didn’t apply to his bedroom), a book with a page marked sat on the bedside table. Photos sat in frames on his dresser; his family, him and Steve in the army, and Bucky in Wakanda. The last one in particular caught her eye. It was a selfie with a teen girl. Lei picked it up to look closer.

“That’s Shuri.”

She glanced up. Bucky stood in the doorway, arms folded and looking at her with an unreadable expression. “She looks nice.” She said carefully. Tension soured the air. She avoided his gaze by setting the frame back down.

“She is.” Her nails tapped against the wood dresser top, trying to distract herself with the faltering pattern. She hoped maybe he’d leave it at that. “Lei—” Of course he didn’t. “We need to talk.”

“I’m sorry you had to see that, really,” She was quick to override him. “You shouldn’t have, and you won’t again.”

He looked almost appalled, but definitely hurt. “Don’t try and hide from me, please.”

“I’m not hiding.” She scoffed.

“You just said I won’t see this again!”

“Because it’s not your problem.”

“I want it to be!” He pleaded. “I wasn’t your problem, but you still helped me anyway. Why can’t I do the same?” She didn’t have a good answer for that. She huffed out a breath and looked to her feet. “Last night was scary,” He admitted softly. That brought her back up in surprise. “Because I didn’t know how to help. I don’t wanna go through that again.”

Bucky didn’t know how much sway he had over her. There was something about him that burrowed through every chink in her heart and nestled deep inside, leaving her helpless to those blue eyes. Something as genuine and earnest as him should’ve been snuffed out by now, especially with all that he’s been through, and she wanted to keep him that way, let him stay soft in his place in her chest and protected by every fibre of her being.

“Lei?”

“Huh?”

“Say something.”

Lei pressed her hands to her face, trying to bring herself back to grounded reality. “I don’t know what to say, Buck. It’s going to happen again, I don’t want you feeling bad that you can’t fix…  _ this _ .”

“I know I can’t fix it, but I meant what I said last night, I wanna help.” They were talking in circles at this point, the conversation getting tiring as they looped through the same logic. Her will was dwindling. All she wanted to do was get something to eat and get to  _ the Reverie _ , but Bucky blocked the door and it didn’t seem like he was going to move until he got what he wanted to hear. She groaned.

“Fine.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really,” She rubbed at her elbow as it flared. “But I want breakfast, first.”

“Lei—”

“ _ Bucky _ ,” She was getting desperate at this point “ _ Please _ .” He stared at her, examining her face. Something in it must have struck a chord, as his stance soon softened and he lost that isistant assertion that had wore her down. He nodded.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” He said softly. “Of course you can eat.” He stepped aside and let Lei pass. She didn’t glance behind her as she headed down, but she could feel his stare boring into her back. She continued to ignore him as she reached the kitchen and started making cereal, clattering a bowl to the counter and pulling down her cereal box. Bucky grabbed the milk as she did so, and she was surprised when she turned back to her bowl to see the jug already waiting. 

“Thanks.” She mumbled. He murmured an equally soft ‘no problem’ and lingered, cleaning up after her before she had a chance to. It seemed he was determined to not leave her alone in any aspect of life. He followed her to the table, settling down across from her and waiting. Her fruity pebbles felt like sugary dirt as she chewed. They sat in silence. “I can’t tell you what causes it.”

“What?”

“There’s no… formula for when it happens,” Lei explained slowly. In her peripherie, she could see him straighten in his chair, sitting to attention, but she didn’t lift her eyes from her bowl. “There are things that  _ might _ cause it, but it’s always a toss.”

“What things  _ might _ cause it?” He probed gently.

“Falling asleep on the couch, for one,” She said dryly. “Sometimes it’s work, sometimes it’s just stress, but sometimes it’s for no reason at all. Sometimes it’s just a few more aches and pains than usual and sometimes it’s-”

“Like last night.” Bucky realized. 

She bit her lip,using her tongue to probe at the split in it. “Yeah.”

“Does anything make it better?”

“Time, medicine,” She shrugged. “Nothing else is as consistent,” He fell silent, and she shifted uncomfortably. “Listen, I don’t even know how to deal with it half the time, I don’t expect you—”

She stopped. Bucky had gotten up, reaching over and grabbing her hand. Bucky wrapped his fingers around hers and pulled, gently bringing her hand to rest comfortably at the middle of the table. She stared at their joined hands, then at him. His face was indescribably soft. “We can try to find more ways of dealing with it together,” He promised. “Okay?”

Lei swallowed. “Okay.”

*~*

“Rough night?” Ben asked as she entered her office. He got up from her chair, swinging his feet off the desk. 

“What?”

“You look exhausted.”

“Thanks. It’s the exhaustion,” She finished her coffee and tossed the cup in the trash. “any word from Luciana?”

“No Guardsmen were registered, so whoever it was, they were flying under the radar.” Lei winced.

“That—That was a  _ bad _ pun. Benjamin, why?”

“It wasn’t intentional,” he grinned. He sobered, however, with the next bit of news. “Luciana wants you for another job, though.”

“I was wondering when she’d get to that. It’s been nearly a month, that’s a new record.” Ben gestured to her desk where a file lay, an unassuming Manila folder with a couple of pages inside. She picked it up and opened it. For a brief moment, the paper within seemed completely blank. Then words started to appear in black ink, clear as day, along with sketches and photos. She rose an eyebrow “Corrupted Heart?”

“Sounds intense.”

“The heart of a necromancer cursed to raise the dead, that’s fun,” she paused as she read the next few lines—“aaaaaaand it’s in a HYDRA base. Super. Why can’t someone from The Libra so this?” 

“Someone tried and got captured. Apparently, though they don’t know what we are, HYDRA is  _ incredibly _ good at recognizing power. The dude barely escaped.”

Lei frowned as she rifled through the rest of the file, eyebrows furrowed and jaw tense. “Fine,” she finally said, dropping it back onto the desktop with a ‘thwump’. “I’ll do it. Though in the meantime, show Richie the picture of the mugging victim, see if he recognizes him. I wanna know why he’s worth a visit from the Winged Guard.”

“Yup,” Ben nodded and made to leave, but he stopped in the doorway. “Is everything okay?” He asked worriedly. “You’re not having a bad pain day, right?”

“Jesus Christ, Ben—“

“You gotta take care of yourself, Lei.”

“I’ve already gotten this lecture once, I don’t need it again,” He gave her an odd look, confused. She sighed. “Bucky.”

“Oh,” his face changed. A brief smile flitted across his lips. “Then I’m glad he’s living with you. About time you had someone take care of you.”

“I don’t need—“

“You don’t need help, I know, I know,” he raised his hands in surrender. “You’re the impossible creature that can save the world and herself without breaking a sweat,” sarcasm laced his words, but there was no malice to go with it. Lei gave him a look. “All I’m saying is that if this Bucky is willing to provide that love you don’t give yourself, then… he’s good I’m my book.”

“He’s not—we’re not  _ dating _ .”

“You don’t need to be dating someone to love them. You know that better than anyone.” 

She didn’t respond and he seemed satisfied, proud that he won the conversation. He switched topics to keep it that way. “So when are you leaving for this Hydra Base?”

“By the end of the week. I’ll see if Runa is available at all, but if not, I can just go alone.”

“What did we  _ just _ talk about—“

“I’m not comfortable leaving that thing with those people, Ben. If it means I get more banged up then fine, but I’m not gonna wait anymore than a few days.” 


	11. Chapter 11

“All these bases are the same, I’m telling you,” Lei insisted, smashing the skull of a soldier against the wall. “Hydra, Talon, Apple—“

“Are you telling me you’ve broken into Apple headquarters? I swear to god, Leilani—“

“No, but with their customer service I’d put them on par with any other terrorist organization.”

“But you still haven’t seen their headquarters, you don’t know if they look like this.” Runa stabbed a man in the heart, her sword piercing through the other side.

“It’s a rule, though. Terrorists have to have poor interior design.”

“Who made that rule?”

“Terrorists, by consistently doing it.” Lei broke the neck of their last attacker. The woman slumped to the ground, lying amongst the other Hydra guards, and left the dingy room in silence. Lei gingerly kicked her body off of her foot, grimacing at the bloodstain on the fabric. “That’s the last of them, I think.”

“Are you sure? That’s not many guards.”

“But we’ve been fighting for what? 20 minutes? That has to be enough time to for the others to get here.” Lei gestured to the room and the hallway behind them, where more bodies lay.

“They could be setting up for an ambush.”

“This doesn’t feel like that,” Lei’s tone became distracted, trailing off as her eyebrows furrowed. “Something’s off.”

Runa frowned. Her eyes slowly trailed across the room, looking for something, listening. Lei watched, keeping as still and quiet as possible. Suddenly Runa tensed, returning to her battle stance. She glance to ground below her feet.

“Below us.”

“What is it?”

“Something big. Something inhuman.”

Lei’s face became drawn and she mimicked her old mentor, setting herself up for a fight. “They already tried using the Heart.”

“Maybe that’s why there are no more guards.”

“They already lost them to—FUCK!” Lei was cut off by the floor tearing at her feet, sending her flying towards the wall. She hit it was a sickening crack of her spine. Runa barely had time to get out of the way as the creature clawed its way up, getting to its feet right in front of the hole it created.

The Corrupted are never pleasant sights to behold. Creatures of rotting flesh and grey magic, reduced to sinew and pain. A twisting, writhing, powerful hell. Very few retain their original forms, typically morphing into something not quite beast, but not human either. The necrotic magic eats at the brain, leaving only blind rage behind. This one was no different. The Heart in its chest spidered black veins across its death-white skin, bulging and pulsing tar-like blood against skin-tight muscle and bone. It stood on haunches and relied on powerful arms to balance itself. The skull was collapsed, distorting its already grotesque features. It opened its mouth and roared, and the women realized with horror that the true mouth, the one with fangs like broken glass and a thick tongue that curled out slimy and forked, was what they thought was a scar across her neck. 

“What the FUCK.” Lei picked herself up from the floor, wincing as she did so. At her shout, The creature turned to her with impossible speed and swiped at her with a powerful claw. She dodged out of the way, summoning a sword as she did so and slashing across the palm. It shrieked and recoiled. Black blood splattered over Lei. She hissed in pain as it burned her skin like acid. Runa learned the same lesson quickly after, getting sprayed as she attacked its hind legs.

“Don’t get hit with the blood!” She warned.

“Got that! Thanks!”

“This is not the time to fucking snark at me!” She slid between his legs as it tried to grab her, almost falling into the hole but grabbing onto a bit of twisted pipe before she could. 

Lei managed to get behind the creature and grab onto its back, crawling up and stabbing into the skin. It howled. The arms reached back and Lei dropped from her makeshift hand-hold when they dislocated and almost grabbed her. She used the opportunity to haul Runa back up. A second later they had to scatter again as it swung a fist down onto them. More of the floor crumbled under the shaking force.

“We can’t get to the Heart like this!” Lei’s words slipped into a yelp as its other claw dug into her calf, sending her to the floor and causing pain to shoot through her veins. It pulled her up using her wound as a hold. The talon pierced all the way through to the other side and blood streamed down her leg. She couldn’t contain a wail of pain from escaping her lips. Her eyes widened in panic as the mouth opened and the tongue started to curl towards her. It was enough to shock her into action, summoning her sword once more and slicing the appendage in two before it wrapped around her. Then she vanished, reappearing on the floor at the other end of the room. She slid down the wall as she grabbed at her pierced leg, looking sick.

“Are you alright?!” Runa asked panickedly.

“Could be better!” The creature tried to charge at Lei, but Runa was quick to distract it by stabbing through its leg and returning the favor. As it whirled on her, Lei struggled to her feet and traded her sword for a chain, having wrapped up the wound in a hasty bandage for her to fight once more. She ran up and flung the chain around its wrist, wrapping it up and getting it caught. Lei yanked back, using her magic to anchor her feet to the floor with golden threads of light, and caused it to teeter and almost lose its balance. Runa took the opportunity to stab one more time and the creature crumpled. More threads sprung from the ground and wrapped around it, tying it to the floor. It howled and struggled, but Lei held firm. She let the magic let go of her feet, but the light still radiated from her, crawling in a broken-glass pattern across the floor until it was underneath the creature. It was from these shards of magic that more threads came forth and tied down the creature. “Not to complain, or anything, but can you take a breather after and not now?” Lei managed. Sweat beaded on her brow. “This thing’s fighting hard and I’m already pretty fucked up.”

Runa nodded and scaled it, managing to catch herself as it jerked under her feet. She found the Heart, visible under the near-translucent skin, drew her sword, and stabbed down.

Blood gushed from the wound. The beast howled. Runa barely had time to scramble off as a torrent acidic blood almost crashed upon her. Lei broke the magic bonds and stumbled back, avoiding the death-flails of the creature as it tried to fight off demise. Runa reached her and grabbed her arm, half to comfort, half to make sure she didn’t crumble under her bad leg. They watched as it tried to rise, only to fall back and tumble to the floor below. The building shook as it landed. Then all was quiet. After waiting, watching to make sure it didn’t rise again, Runa murmured. “I’m gonna check, stay here.”

Lei nodded. She swayed for a moment when Runa let go, but managed to steady herself just in time. Runa approached the hole cautiously, ready to spring back at any moment. Then she peered down. 

“It’s dead.”

“Bless,” Lei groaned and let the tension roll off her her. Exhaustion hit her like a train and it took everything in her to stay on her feet, well, foot. “Let’s get the Heart and video footage and go home.”

“I’ll get the Heart,” Runa started to wave her off, then paused. Her voice dipped in worry. “You think you can make it to the security room on your own?”

“I’m just… severely crippled, not incapable.”

“Yet.”

Lei rolled her eyes and disappeared. It took a few times, reappearing in the wrong hallways and rooms, before hitting the jackpot and finding the security room. She stumbled when she landed, grabbing onto the vacant swivel chair to regain her balance. “I fucking hate this job, sometimes,” She muttered under breath as she hauled herself into the chair. Her leg was starting to go numb. “Goddammit Luciana.”

The footage couldn’t be totally deleted. If Lei had an hour and wasn’t risking losing a leg below the knee, maybe it could. The most she could do was corrupt it beyond recognition, wrecking files with her Programming degree and a history of infecting MIT asshole’s computers with viruses (allegedly). She groaned and leaned back. “Runa?”

The earring in her ear came to life. “Yeah?”

“I’m as done as I can get. Let’s get outta here, I need to see Ben.”

“Go on ahead. I’ll use the portal and meet you at the Reverie.”

Lei nodded and disappeared one more time. 

*~*

“Are you sure you don’t need any water or something?”

“I’m fine, Bucky.”

“You don’t need any painkillers?”

“It’s just a twisted ankle. I’ll be fine tomorrow.”

Bucky frowned, still worried. He sat at Lei’s feet, gripping his hands in an anxious knot at his lap. “I just…after that night, what if…?”

Lei sighed and sat up, propping her back up against the couch cushions. She was careful of her leg, less to aggravate its wound and more to make sure her pant leg didn’t ride up. Bucky didn’t need to know that she lying and he certainly didn’t need a chance to examine the bandages wrapped around her calf. It would be a bitch to explain away the sigils. “Hey, look at me.” Her expression was gentle and her voice was coaxing. He hesitantly obeyed, still a little shameful. “I’m not made of glass, okay?” She reached forward and untangled his hands, bringing one to hold in her own lap. “Yeah, this might cause another episode, and so then it does, and there’s nothing we can do about that except just… deal with it, you know?”

“I hate seeing you in pain,” He mumbled. It wasn’t exactly an argument, more just a helpless declaration. Lei felt a lump start to form in her throat. “And I hate that you’re so  _ used _ to it.”

“I don’t mind.”

“You don’t deserve it.”

Lei wouldn’t call what she felt for Bucky a crush, per say. Crushes were childish, simple. They’re from the days of school where the girl sitting next to her was just  _ so pretty _ and  _ so cool _ . This wasn’t that. This was deeper, softer, something akin to morphine in her veins. Bucky was pretty, admittedly, but she was more enraptured by how his eyes crinkled at the corners and how his cheeks got so pink so easily. He wasn’t cool, not when he made noises at the cats that visited the courtyard, or fussed over her eating habits and insisted she eat her vegetables. But what he was was….comforting. He was a soft blanket and plush pillows, springy grass and warm sun. He was safe.

So when he said that as if it were an obvious truth, so assured of her worth, it forced her to inhale, left so breathless by adoration. He however, took it the wrong way, seeing her inhale as him taking a step to far. He ducked his eyes away and tried to take back his hand, murmuring a ‘sorry’ all the while.

“Bucky.”

He stiffened.

“Bucky you better come over here and give me a hug.”

He looked up, startled. “What?”

“You can’t say something like that and not face the love-consequences.” She held out her arms. He laughed, relieved and shaky.

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Accepted. Hug.” He laughed again and came to sit beside her before gathering her up in his arms. Lei wriggled and pushed, wordlessly directing Bucky until he was lying where she was and she was on top of him, cheek on his chest and his hands resting on her back.

“Comfortable?” Bucky teased.

“Very. Can you reach the remote? I need to catch up on Drag Race, Peter’s been nagging me about it.”

“What if I needed to do something?”

“You don’t.”

“Are we going to get up for dinner?”

“We’ll order something.”

“But someone has to answer the door.”

“Guess you’ll have to carry me. I’m an invalid, you have to listen to me.”

One more laugh rumbled in his chest, vibrating underneath her cheek.

They fell into silence as they watched TV, content with just proximity, and stayed like until the sky got dark.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go to the end of the chapter for notes

Bucky was going on an assignment.

It wasn’t a big one, compared to what the Avengers used to do. It was a recon job, a 3 day stake out of a suspected base of a trafficking ring. There would be no confrontation unless  _ absolutely  _ necessary; just get in and get out, and the information collected would be used by Nat and Vision to bust the whole operation. It was simple. 

Lei was excited for him. She hugged him fiercely at the news, before pulling away and holding at his cheeks, beaming ear to ear. The unease that had been brewing in his stomach since the briefing all but melted away under her touch. He was shamelessly addicted to it. Her voice ground him as well, assuring him that he was  _ ready _ and it would be  _ fine _ . He’d believe her if she said the sky was green.

In the days leading up to his departure, he was genuinely excited. It was a chance for redemption, doing good to fight the bad he’d once been a part of. He wasn’t a hero, he didn’t think he’d ever be, but maybe this was the first step in no longer being a villain. But then the night before came and Lei offered to help him pack, and it hit him like a freight train that he’d be away from her.

It had been almost 5 months now. The trees had changed, the air had turned, and Bucky had become  _ hopelessly _ attached to his roommate. The thought of being away for more than a day caused a lump to form in his throat.

“Are you okay?” Lei asked softly. 

Bucky looked up from his bag to see her watching him in concern. He had been staring sightlessly at the shirts already folded up in there as he wrestled with his anxieties. He tried to open his mouth, but nothing came out. Her expression dipped into concern and she approached him, her hands settling casually on his waist with a sort of intimacy that made him want to purr.

“Are you scared?” Not teasing, not goading, a genuine question from a place of affection. He hesitated, then nodded sheepishly. She sighed and placed a hand on his cheek, his nose pressing into it immediately. 

“I don’t know what to do without you.” He admitted.

“It’s only three days.”

Lei soothed him, got him out of his head. She got him out of his nervous spirals with a smile that left him breathless. His mother had told him when he was a small child that there were angels on Earth, people who existed to help and comfort. Bucky hadn’t believed it then. He grew up in an era of war and strife that left you doubting simple truths, much less angels.  But now, even 70 years later, his mother was proven right in the form of the woman in front of him and he would bask in whatever warmth she would give. But he couldn’t say that, so instead he voice another worry that picked at his brain. “What if something happens while I’m gone?”

“Bucky—”

“You could have another bad pain day, you could hurt yourself, you might forget to  _ eat _ —”

“I appreciate the concern, but come on,” her hand left his cheek to grip at his shoulder. “I’m a grown woman. I’ve managed to survive years without incident, I think I can go a few more days.” She paused. “Also I forgot to eat  _ once _ , seriously. You need to let that go.”

“Never.” Because he couldn’t. The thought of Lei not taking care of herself made his stomach twist. She rolled her eyes.

“You know, if the circumstances were any different, you and my dad would get along shockingly well,” She shook her head and smiled. “Both of you worry too much about me.”

“That’s not possible.” He managed a smile back. She gave him an odd look, searching his face for the meaning behind his words.

Bucky knew what love felt like; a desire to give someone everything they needed and as much as they wanted, the world only right if you knew that they were content. There was no such thing as worrying too much. He did it with his mother, his sister, and Steve. Now he worried over Lei. He cleared his throat.

“We should finish packing. I have to be at the tower at 5 tomorrow morning.” He said softly. She groaned and let her head fall to his chest in defeat.

“Why does it have to be so fucking early?” She whined.

“Injustice waits for no one, I guess.”

She groaned louder. “I don’t wanna get up that early.”

He tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “You don’t have to, I can just go in alone.” In some ways he preferred it. Her sleeping schedule was a disaster, and any sleep she could get he wouldn’t want to rob from her. But she shook her head.

“No, no, I’ll see you off,” She patted his chest. “I’ll just be sleepy and I might fall asleep in the car and drool on your shoulder.”

He snorted. “Sounds like a plan.”

*~*

_ Bucky was getting married. _

__ _ It was a soldier’s wedding, he was in his dress uniform, as was Steve who stood right beside him. He stood on the altar, the priest with the bible in his hand, an anonymous audience waiting in the pews. Only a few faces were clear; a few of the Howling Commandos. His mother. Rebecca. He was nervous, but so very excited. He felt like he was going to cry in the best kind of way. _

__ _ The church doors opened and he jerked his head to see his bride-to-be. Her veil hid her face but he just knew she was breathtaking. An organ started playing the wedding march. She reached the altar and handed off her bouquet, his favorite forget-me-nots wrapped and tied with a ribbon bow. He reached for her veil and flipped it, and a love-struck grin broke out across his face and the sight of the love of his life. She reached for his hands and held them tight.  _

__ _ This is how it should’ve been. He should’ve come home. He should’ve been with Steve and his family, marrying the girl of his dreams, having the fucking American dream. He started to cry. His bride started to coo and cup his face. Were they happy tears? He didn’t know. _

__ “-Cy?”

_ Her voice warbled through his ears. He wanted to hear that voice every day for the rest of his life, but he couldn’t, because she was stuck in a time robbed from him. He tried not to linger on what he lost, but right now, when it was right in front of him, it was so hard not to. He cried harder. _

__ “Bucky!”

He woke up with a shuddering gasp, cheeks wet and chest aching. Lei was kneeling over him, hand on his shoulder and concern in her eyes. He looked up at her, sniffling. “Why are you here?”

“I was getting some water and I heard you crying,” Her voice was soft. “That must have been some dream.”

He nodded, and a sob involuntarily left his throat. She murmured and collected him into a hug. His hands scrabbled for a hold on the back of her shirt, gripping for something he still had. He wept into her shoulder and she held him tight. She climbed up and settled on the bed with him. Her hand combed through his hair, trying to soothe him. It was something his mother did, he remembered that. His mother would’ve adored Lei. He whimpered. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked. Bucky shook his head. “Do you want me to go?”

“No!” His voice cracked with panic. She didn’t flinch, only pulling away far enough to brush his hair out of his face. 

“Okay,” She wiped away his tears. “I won’t go anywhere,” She soothed him. “Is it okay if we lay down?” He nodded. She nodded back. Slowly, reluctantly, he let go of her shirt so she could wriggle under the covers. Once she was settled, he lay down as well. They stared at the ceiling in silence. The initial hysteria of his dream had faded, leaving a shameful pink stain on his cheeks. He sniffled and wiped at his face.   
“You’re allowed to cry.” Lei said softly. He scoffed.

“It’s stupid.”

“With what you’ve been through? I’m surprised you don’t do it more.” She took his hand, a feather-light touch smoothing over metal and started to fiddle with it, rubbing the pad of her thumb over the palm, then over the joints in his fingers. His eyes fluttered at the gentle feeling.

“I did too much of it in Wakanda.”

“There’s no limit to healing. If you need to cry, cry. Lord knows nothing good comes from bottling it up.” She turned now, facing him with those steady dark eyes and ethereal in the moonlight. He swallowed under her gaze.

“I don’t even know anymore,” He admitted. “I miss home, I miss being whole, but…” He struggled with his words. Lei waited patiently. “I don’t hate it here.”

She couldn’t help a smile. “Ringing endorsement of modern times.”

“No, I mean…” He sighed. “I can never have it all, and it… it isn’t fair,” He rolled his eyes. “I sound like a jerk.”

“No, you sound like someone who got a shitty hand,” She exhaled and held his knuckles to her lips. “Getting a good thing from strife is always fucking hard. Because it feels like you’re betraying the good that came before.”

“how do you know?” Because he genuinely wanted to know how a 27 year old could speak with such age, such knowledge. 

Lei bit the inside of her lip. “It’s not comparable,” She started slowly. “But I’ve had my fair share of heartache. I get the feeling, I really do, it’s horrible, but-” She weaved her fingers with his hand to hold it tight. “You shouldn’t feel guilty about it.”

All he could do is stare. He was holding onto a star, glowing silver in the moonlight and warm in his palm. Her eyes sparkled with emotion and conviction.    
“Don’t leave.” He breathed. She shook her head.

“Never.”

*~*

Bucky woke up to his alarm and became immediately aware of the hand clutching his. He turned his head to face the owner.

Lei was fast asleep, her face pressed into the pillow and nose inches away from his metal knuckles. Her lips were parted and he could see a little bit drool. His heart ached at the sight. At this moment, he wished nothing more to stay like this forever. Damn the mission. Damn the Avengers. This would be enough for him.

With a sigh, he shook her shoulder.

“ ‘Early.” She mumbled, not opening her eyes. He laughed slightly.

“Come on, Sugar. You can go back to sleep, but I need my hand back.” He couldn’t see her face, and suddenly that was unacceptable. He brushed her hair behind her ear. She shifted under his touch. Her eyes squinted open, still a little unfocused. “There we go.” She groaned and reluctantly let go of his hand.

“Start the coffee.” She said.

“You know you shouldn’t be drinking that.”

“There are no rules at three in the morning.” She rolled onto her back and finally looked up at him. He laughed.

“I’ll make you some tea. How about that?”

“Fine,” He made to get up, but suddenly her hand shot out and took hold of his wrist. “Bucky?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

He paused. His head was still stuffy from crying mere hours before, but when he breathed, his lungs felt clearer than they had for a while. “Yeah,” he finally said. “I’m a lot better.”

“Good.”

Bucky left and made his way downstairs. There was no difference, really, to his normal morning routine. All that changed was the time. The kitchen wasn’t lit by the rising morning sun shining through the courtyard doors, the birds had not woken up yet, the cats hadn’t come out, it was dark and silent. Something about it made his skin crawl. Maybe nerves, maybe by the surreality of it all. He started coffee for him and started boiling water for Lei before getting started on breakfast. 

“Why don’t you let me do that?” 

He looked up from the fridge to find that Lei had made her way down, hair a mess and still bleary-eyed. He pulled out the eggs. “Why?”

“It’s just… you have enough to worry about without breakfast.”

“I like making breakfast.” He shrugged as he took out some bacon.

“Do you at least want help?”

He paused. She wasn’t usually up when he was. By the time she came down in the morning, breakfast was nearly done. There was never a chance for her offer before. “If you want.” He said carefully, after a beat of silence.

Without another word, Lei slipped in and started her own project. She grabbed ingredients from the shelves without second thought.

“Making pancakes?” He asked.

“Yep.”

“Do you…” he paused. “Know how to make them?”

“I’ll have you know, mister Barnes, that before you came along I’ve lived nearly 8 years on my own. That includes cooking for myself.” She flashed a smile at him.

“You never cook!” He pointed his whisk accusingly at her. It was teasing, laughter in his voice. 

“By the time I think to do it, you’re already done!” She defended. “Besides you seemed to enjoy it, so what’s the harm?”

“I’m making you cook with me when I get back. You’ve gotten off free for too long.” 

“Damn.” She giggled and stole the eggs, slipping under his arm and poking him in the back. “You’ve foiled my plans.”

They finished breakfast in companionable silence, only breaking to make tea and pour coffee. It felt like no time at all until the kitchen table was laden under plates piled with syrup soaked pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Bucky couldn’t help but give Lei a smile. “You make a good assistant.”

“Assistant? Honey, I’m the chef.”

“Any restaurant you run would fail.” She rose an eyebrow.

“Bucky.”

“What?”

“I run a  _ bar. _ ”

“ … Touche.”

*~*

Bucky swallowed as he stood on the helipad. The first hints of light were just appearing through the skyline. Blood began to rush in his ears as he stared at the waiting quinjet.

“Hey.” 

He felt a hand grab his and squeezed. Lei looked up at him reassuringly. “You’ll be fine.”

“I know.” His voice was weak and lacked conviction.

“Bucky.” She reached up and forced his gaze to meet hers. “While you’re gone I want you to do something.”

“What is it?”

“Think of something you want to do. Like really,  _ really _ . And when you come back, tell me and we’re going to do it.”

He’d already given that some thought. Late at night when he couldn't sleep, Bucky would fantasize about things he still wanted to do. Things he wanted to do with Lei. But when he opened his mouth to speak, she clamped her hand over his lips. 

“Nope. Don’t tell me now. You have to tell me after you get back.”

He snorted, and before she could react licked her palm. She yelped and yanked it away. 

“Ew!”

“That’s what you get.” He teased. His face then sobered slightly when he asked—“but why after I get back?”

“So you have something to look forward to.” She wiped her hand on her jeans. “If you’re worried something will go wrong, this can be the motivation that, even if something does, you’ll fix it and come back.”

The door behind them opened, but Bucky didn’t pay much attention. Lei was smiling as if she had said the normalest thing in the world. Without a second thought he pulled her into a bone-crushing hug. “I’ll miss you.” He whispered. She laughed slightly and returned the embrace. 

“I’ll miss you too.”

Someone cleared their throat.

Tony stood a little behind them, watching the exchange with an unreadable expression on his face. Bucky paled while Lei’s own face became as hard to figure as her father’s. 

“Dad,” she said slowly. “What are you doing up?”

“I’m going on my mission.” He said simply. 

“I thought Rhodey—”

“We has to switch. There was some UN business and he’s better at dealing with that sort of thing.” Bucky’s heart sank. Then Tony turned to him with a smile that held no sincerity. “Ready to go, partner?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry for taking so long to update. I write my chapters in advance, but 12 and 13 were giving a lot of trouble and so I ended up having to do a lot of writing and re-writing. I’ll try to be better about that, but 13 might take a while as well, since I want to get a solid back-log of chapters written so I can return to a somewhat regular update schedule.
> 
> Thank you for everyone who’s left comments, they seriously mean the world to me and I haven’t responded since they make me really flustered. I’ll try to be better about that but you all make my day whenever a new one is left, seriously.
> 
> If you want to know more about Lei, feel free to ask! Be it questions about what she looks like, quirks or character aspects of hers, relationships—anything you want (I won’t give away spoilers, though). She’s an Oc that I’ve had for years at this point and I would be delighted to share anything about her. 
> 
> Thank you for your patience, hopefully I’ll get past this slow update spell soon, and I love you all very much!


	13. Chapter 13

Lei frowned at the tablet in her hand, trying to place the features of the man in front of her. He was wholly unremarkable, the type of face that gets lost in a crowd. She brought up his information to find his life generic as well. The dip in her brows furrowed further. 

“You said he was a vampire?” She asked Richie, who stood awkwardly in front of her. In her peripherie he nodded.

“I showed the picture to my brother and he recognized him. Apparently Oz was pretty involved with his kind.”

Lei frowned, eying him. “I don’t want territory bullshit involved, Richie.”

“He promised not to do anything!” He quickly defended. “I just couldn’t find any trace of this guy. Besides you, Mark knows more Magicals than anyone else. He was my best shot.” A little color drained from his face under her searching gaze. 

“If you say so,” she finally said. He breathed a sigh of relief. “But you still have something to show me.”

“What?”

“You’re hiding a paper behind your back,” She held out her hand and smiled at his surprise. “Learn to be a little more slick.” 

He winced “You’re not gonna like it.” 

“Better to rip off the bandaid, then.” Hesitantly, he handed it over. It was a page from the newspaper and Lei quickly realized why Richie said she wouldn’t like it. Because it was really impossible to like something any less. “God fucking dammit.”

**Oswald Wilt found murdered in his apartment. Investigators bewildered** .

“He was found cut to hell.” Richie sighed. Lei gave him a look. He held up his hands defensively. “Not claws. Blades.”

“Has Luciana called?” She rubbed her temple as she scanned the article. From what reporters knew, nothing was found on scene. 

“She’s right here.”

Lei closed her eyes and blew an irritated breath through her nose. 

Luciana stood in the doorway of Lei’s office, seemingly out of nowhere. Richie stood to panicked attention. Lei smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“I don’t remember sending an invitation.” She said.

“You were asking for the location of any former Winged Guard and now one a Magical shows up dead.”

“We don’t know if the Guard killed him.”

“No human instrument can inflict wounds those wounds.”

“How would you know? The reporters didn’t say what his wounds were.” Lei watched Luciana with a steady gaze, expression pleasant but eyes sharp.

“I have people on the inside. And I know that you do as well.” Luciana gave Richie a sideways glance. “I don’t want to fight if I can avoid it. All I want to know is why when you look into the Winged Guard, they kill someone a month or two later.”

“You think I had something to do with it?”

“No, I think you knew something and didn’t tell me.”

“I don’t work for you, I don’t have to report anything.”

Luciana bit back a retort, lifting her eyes to the ceiling and taking a moment to collect herself. “I was hoping…” she said slowly. “That we have moved past some of your distrust of me. I’ve done nothing but try and prove myself as an ally.”

“I trust you enough,” Lei said simply. “If I didn’t, we wouldn’t be talking at all.”

“But you don’t tell me anything.”

“Given how much work you contract out to me, I’m more capable of problem-solving than you are. Don’t see the point of getting you involved if I’ll end up fixing anyway.” Lei shrugged, never breaking eye-contact.

“You  _ really  _ have a poor opinion of us, don’t you?”

“It’s a vast improvement from where it started. You should feel proud.” She slid off her desk and placed a hand on Richie’s shoulder. “Get us something to drink, will you? What do you want, Luciana?”

“Tea, if you would. Straight black.”

“And just grab me a Arnold Palmer.”

Richie looked unsure, tossing a look between Luciana and his boss, an uneasy frown on his face. “Are you sure?” He asked softly. Lei tilted her head.

“It’s too early to drink.”

“No, not that—though I don’t know why you’d choose Pepsi over— you know what, nevermind. I meant…” he jerked a thumb to Luciana. “You sure you want me to go?”

Lei smiled. This one was gentle with sincere appreciation. “I’m sure. I’ll call if I need help.”

He groaned “No you won’t.”

Lei patted his shoulder comfortingly, and reluctantly Richie took his leave. Luciana watched with raised eyebrows. “Loyal.” She commented.

“They’re like that.” Lei slipped behind her desk and took a seat. She laced her fingers together and rested her chin on them. “So are you suggesting to join forces? Share information?”

“We should’ve from the beginning,” Luciana took the other seat. “With your reach and my resources, we can solve this mystery much quicker.”

“It could be nothing. It could be a waste of time.”

“A man is dead, Lei. There is no waste there.”

Lei scrutinized Luciana, who stayed firm under her gaze. “Huh.” She finally said. Her tone was light with mild surprise.

“What?”

“You really couldn’t be any more different from him.” The door opened and Richie returned with a tray holding a can of Pepsi and a mug with a tea bag. “Thanks, Rich.”

“Thank you.” Luciana smiled. He nodded but didn’t leave, instead lingering beside the door. Lei rose an eyebrow, but he just shook his head and stood firm. She bit back a smile and let him be.

“I’ll do it,” she leaned back and popped the tab of her drink. “Consider this the toast to our partnership.”

“Fantastic.” Luciana seemed relieved, even taking her tea and drinking it.

“To start us off, could you secure clearance for me to go see the head of the Guard?”

“You’ve never needed clearance to go somewhere before.” Luciana sounded tired, expression deadpan.

“In this case? I’d rather not deal with the headache of dropping in unannounced. You know those holy types, sticklers for rules and respect.”

“Two things you have in spades.” She said dryly.

“I like rules that make sense and respect that is earned.”

You’re hard-pressed to find those, nowadays,” She mulled over her mug, swirling the tea inside. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you.”

*~*

“You’re late.”

“By _ 5 _ minutes.”

“You know the Guard doesn’t take kindly to tardiness.”

“The Guard doesn’t take kindly to  _ anything _ .” Lei grumbled.

Luciana sighed, making sure her braids were tightly tied back. “At least you look alright.” She said.

“Oh, thank you for that amazing compliment.” Lei was hardly done-up, only wearing a  jumpsuit. She supposed it was a vast improvement to what she usually wore. In comparison to her companion, however, she seemed scruffy. Luciana went the full 9 yards, complete with professional dress, jewelry, and heels. Lei looked like she worked in an office. Luciana looked like she owned the building. Which she did. The one they were standing in, at least.

“I’ve never seen you wear heels, before.” Lei glanced down to her feet. They weren’t even that, they were heeled boots. They were tall, granted, and If Luciana hadn’t been wearing heels of her own, they would finally be the same height.

“Try running down a necromancer in stilettos.” Lei replied.

“I don’t want to.”

“So don’t talk.”

Luciana frowned. “I hope you don’t bring this attitude to the General.”

“Are you my mother?”

“No. In this situation, I’m your  _ boss _ .” She gave Lei one last glare before opening a portal. It wasn’t like Lei’s magic, a seamless step from one location to the other, rather the heavy oak door of Luciana’s office glowing gold and disappearing, just like the elevator Runa used many nights before. The two women looked onto what looked like a palace foyer, pantheonic, made of cold marble and lit with bright daylight. Lei glanced back to the setting sun through the office windows before refocusing on the armed men and women flanking the palace walls with spears.

“Give them a prize for a warm welcome.” Lei muttered. Luciana growled under her breath and made to say something, but Lei was already stepping through.

The soldiers gave no greeting. In fact, they made no indication that the two women were even there. They just stood like statues, staring ahead. If it weren’t for the breeze coming in from the outside, ruffling the feathers of their wings, a smarter person would’ve thought they were.

“Do you know where to go?” She asked. Despite her casual expression, her shoulders were tense. Luciana noticed.

“Yes, but for the love of all the gods, don’t start a fight.” They spoke in hushed tones, and Luciana glanced to the guards to see if they were listening. She couldn’t tell.

“Have you ever seen The Aristocats?” Lei asked.

“… No?”

“Well, to butcher the words of Marie, “I don’t start fights, but I’ll finish them.”

“Jesus Christ.” Luciana led her down the hallway. Lei took the time to observe her surroundings a little closer.

She’d never been to the higher levels of the Floating Islands, keeping her business to the slums below the clouds. It was beautiful, with bright green lawns visible through the open doorways and a vibrant blue sky, but sparse. Few people were outside, and those that were all wore the armor of the Guard. Lei personally preferred the crowded open-air markets of the lower islands. It was too cold up here, too rigid. She and Luciana reached two large doors, wrought gold and shining. More guards stood in front of them. At their approach, they grabbed the handles and pulled them open, revealing the room inside.

“You’re late.”

The General sat at the head of a large table. There were two empty chairs at the end closest to the door and furthest from her. Lei fought the urge to roll her eyes as Luciana apologized, shooting a lethal look at her companion in the process. “We’re very sorry.”

“No matter. You’re here now. Sit.”

They sat.

“You’re here to accuse us of murder.”

“We’re here to ask how a man on Earth ended up dead by an etherium blade.” Lei said. Again Luciana tried to stop her with her eyes, but the shorter woman kept her eyes trained on the General.

“I have no knowledge of that.”

“By the laws of your own land, no amount of etherium leaves this plane without your personal approval. So either you are lying, or you have just admitted that you do not have as much control as you’d like us to believe.” Her words were as sharp as her gaze, watching for any shift in behavior.

“You accuse me of treachery?”

“I’m stating a fact. There is a reason why you killed Oswald Wilt. Angels aren’t petty creatures, and you’re smart enough not to risk an inter-planar incident without good  _ reason _ . We want to know it.”

“That is none of your concern.”

“All magical creatures in Planes of Logic are under the protection of the Libra,” Luciana spoke up next. Her tone was gentler but just as firm. “You kill a man on our land, you make it our concern.”

The General appraised them. She leaned back, arms on the rests of her chair and chin tilted up. “Pity you aren’t angels,” She finally said. Lei and Luciana exchanged glances. “You would have made admirable guardsmen.”

“I’d rather not.” Both of them spoke at the same time. The General scoffed.

“Groundlings,” She muttered. “So prideful.”

“I prefer principled.” Luciana said.

Lei shrugged. “I’m fine with prideful. Why did you kill Oz?”

The General sighed, then leveled them with glare. “Your  _ beloved _ vampire,” Her words were slow with disdain, venom dripping from each syllable, seeping into your skin and crawling through your veins. “Was a thief. You know how we punish those who steal from us.”

“What did he steal?”

“Etherium.”

“Ironic.”

“Maybe so. He deserved every painful moment.”

“Do you know why he stole it?”

“To sell it, I imagine. Mr. Wilt was a smuggler.”

“How do you know?”

“I assumed.”

“Not every man who steals is a smuggler, and you’re not one to say something unless you’re certain. You  _ are _ , however, one to lie,” The General was silent. “Did you do business with him? Is that how he got close enough to the etherium to steal it?” Lei smirked. It crinkled her eyes in amusement. “‘We, the guard stand to be righteous’, huh?”

“You’re insolent.” The General growled.

“I’m right.”

Luciana watched the exchange, eyes flicking back and forth to follow each verbal barb as it landed. She was stiff, waiting for the growing tension to snap and for them to be thrown out. Lei’s shoulders were still squared, but that was the only sign of her anticipating any sort of fight. All the cards hung lazily from her hand, held casually underneath her resting chin between curled fingers. Angels showed no weakness. Kicking Lei out was weakness. Dodging her questions was weakness. Bitchy? Yes. Good?

Absolutely.

The General’s jaw became tight. Her glare was murderous as she spat out. “We knew about his illegal dealings, yes, but we did not partake. We only dealt with him for his above-board stock.”

“And do you know any of his less… upstanding clientele? Who would have bought your stolen weaponry?”

“If we did, you’d have more than one dead Magical on your hands.”

“Did you ask him before you killed him?”

“He refused to say.”

“Was there anything he did say?”

“He told us he was ‘dead either way.’”

Lei’s eyebrows furrowed at that. Luciana glanced questioningly, wordlessly asking to explain the change of expression, but Lei only stood and gave the General a nod. “Thank you, General.”

“Do I get anything in return for my time?” The General asked. Lei smiled pleasantly.

“Our silence.”

And with that she disappeared, a small crackle of energy and gold light left in her stead. Luciana threw a small metal disk on the ground. A portal appeared above it, leading back to her office. “Director,” At the General’s call, she looked up. “If you see Benjamin, send him my wishes.” She paused, then gave a short nod. Then she stepped through and  was gone as well, leaving the Angels alone to their floating palace. 


	14. Chapter 14

“Whoever Oz sold to, they’re more of a threat than the angels.” Lei was agitated, skin prickling as her magic rose to the sway of her emotion. She tried to rub it away as she spoke into the phone. “If they weren’t, he would’ve tried to get the angels protection in exchange for information.”

“Well then, who’s more of a threat?” Ben asked on the other end. 

“Someone who’s bold enough to buy stolen etherium.” She was pacing her living room like a caged animal. Bucky being gone was a bittersweet reality; he wasn’t around to ask questions, but he also wasn’t there to distract her. “We can argue about who has more force or more power until we’re blue in the face, but the fact is I don’t know  _ anyone  _ who’d want to risk a fight with the Guard.” She glanced warily out the window, as if trying to search for said mystery person, but all she was met with was the darkened street. The sun had set long ago, yet the most Lei had done was change out of her clothes. She hadn’t eaten, she hadn’t showered, and she hadn’t stopped  _ thinking. _

“You’re worried.”

“Aren’t you?”

“Maybe, But I think you’re also projecting a bit.”

“About what?”

“Aren’t Bucky and Tony supposed to be returning tomorrow?” He asked.

Their mission was only supposed to last 3 days, but it was nearing a week now since they left and it frayed Lei’s nerves more than she cared to admit. She couldn’t fathom them working together without an incident for an hour, let alone 168. She wasn’t the only one, with Steve sounding as doubtful as she felt when he called to tell her about the assignment extension. Lei sighed and rubbed at her eyes, realizing what he was getting at. “Ben--”

“Don’t say I’m wrong,” He warned. “Because I know you and I’m right.” 

Lei fell into a disgruntled silence, and it made the quiet around her all the louder. She rubbed her eyes and then let the hand trail to cover her mouth. Too much was happening. She needed to get out of the house. “I gotta go.”

“Lei-”

“I’ll call you later.” She hung up on his protests and put her phone on ‘do not disturb’ for good measure. Was it a little childish? Maybe. Was it necessary? Yes. A lecture was the last thing she needed. Her head already hurt too much. Lei shook herself with a sigh before grabbing her coat and heading out. A walk was better. She could lose herself in the sights and sounds and smells, get away from her roiling mind. 

A walk was not better.

“I need you to hold onto me, okay honey? Can you do that for me?” Lei asked the teenager. She was a slight thing, a fawn shaking and staring wide-eyed at the flames around her. “Abigail!” Those eyes snapped to her. “You’re going to get out of here, and I’m gonna help you. Now hold on.”

The apartment was burning. The fire department wasn’t going to reach the scene before the whole thing came down. Abby was one of the last ones left inside, or at least, that’s what her mother sobbed to Lei when she came to investigate. Lei wasn’t confident she could save the others before it was too late, but she knew she could save Abby.

The teenager clung to Lei’s jacket, too terrified to wonder how the wool was only  _ slightly  _ singed (A good resistance spell was hard to find, something that Lei had learned the hard way with some more  _ ill-fated _ clothes). Hopefully it would stay that way, though any longer in the inferno would--figuratively and literally--turn those hopes to ashes.

Lei jumped through the rising flames and towards the fire escape. Good news was the brick it was screwed into still held relatively firm. The bad news, at least for Abby, was that the metal was scorching hot. “Don’t touch anything.” Lei ordered. She hopped onto the rickety platform, frowning at the burning plants that cluttered it, before grabbing the railing and vaulting over the side. Abby screamed as she was suddenly hurtling through the air. Lei managed to grab onto the last railing, slowing their descent with a sharp jerk, forcing a pained grunt through her lips as her shoulder protested the abuse. “Can you jump?” She asked Abby. The teen nodded shakily. Slowly, hesitantly, she loosened her hold on the coat and dropped to the dirty asphalt. With one final nod, Lei hauled herself back up and climbed back into the blazing building.

The flames didn’t bother her. Though her clothes protested a little, her skin was fine, without mark or pain even when licked by the orange tongues of fire. The smoke, however, was another story. She coughed as she searched for more survivors, her lungs burning like her flesh couldn’t. She dodged a falling beam before scaling the disintegrating steps. It was hard to see, too bright but too blurry at the same time. She covered her mouth and nose with her coat sleeve, but she’d already inhaled too much smoke to do any good. She needed to get out. Of all she’s been through, this would’ve been a pathetic way to die.

“Hello?”

She whipped around, still coughing. Squinting through the fire, she tried focusing on a lean figure that had appeared in a doorway. She thought it was another survivor, though the voice was uncomfortably familiar. As they drew closer, she recognized who it was. “Fuck.”

“Lei?!” Peter seemed panicked. “What are you doing here?!” Lei was a little panicked too, for many more reasons than him.

“What are you doing here!?” She snapped back.

“What am I--I’m Spiderman! I’m supposed to be here--” Something cracked and both their heads snapped up. The ceiling looked ready to collapse. And it started to. “Shit.”

Without a second thought, Lei lunged for Peter, grabbing him and pulling a metal disk from her pocket at the same time. She threw the disk at their feet, opening a portal below them. They fell through, landing painfully on top of a desk and rolling onto the floor. Lei groaned and turned onto her back to see the portal still open. Her eyes widened as she watched burning lumber plummet towards them, ready to crush her and Peter. Her hand shot out. The disk shattered and the portal closed just as the first bit of debris was about to fall through. The room was plunged into silence.

Then Peter spoke.

“What the fuck.” Peter wheezeed. He was still recovering the breath stolen by the fall. 

“Language.” Lei coughed and got to her feet, looking around for any sign of damage. Her office seemed unharmed from their abrupt entry. That was good, she’d hate to have to get it fixed….again.

“Don’t-! Lei, what-!?” Peter fumbled for his words, getting up as well. He ripped off his mask, eyes wild. “What’s going on?! Why are we in your office?!  _ How  _ are we in your office?!”

Lei groaned and pressed a hand to her temple. The headache was back, stronger than before, each question like a knife digging into her skull. Panic rose in her throat, making it all the harder to breathe. Her lungs burned. She doubled over, clutching at her chest.

“Lei--” His voice was a little faraway, but she could still pick up a hint of worry in Peter’s voice. She tried to focus on him, but her sight was about to blur around the edges. She rested heavily on the desk.

“Get Ben.” She wheezed.

“But--”

“Now!” She tried to force the urgency through her smoke-torn throat. The effort made her choke, then crumble into a fit of hacking coughs. Peter squeaked and ran from the room, barely remembering to wrestle his mask back on before pushing past the door. Lei slid to the floor, using desk to support her back.

_ ‘Name 5 things you see, Leilani’ Her father’s voice was soft but steady. He gripped her 14 year old shoulders with grounding force, not hard enough to hurt but enough to remind her that he was there. She swallowed, then let out a shuddering wheeze as she tried to find things to name. _

_ ‘You,” She started. Tony nodded encouragingly. “Um, my computer, my pencil, the win-window.” _

_ “You’re doing great, sweetie, just one more.” _

_ “My dresser.” _

_ “Okay, 4 things you can feel.” _

_ “Your hands-” _

Hands were shaking her shoulders. Ben knelt in front of her, fierce with worry. “4 things you can feel, Lei, come on!” She heaved a breath. The floor, the desk, her  _ burning fucking lungs _ . 

“I’m fucking fine, heal m-!” Her wrecked words were interrupted by a horrific cough. She tried to get up, but he quickly pushed her back down. He didn’t hesitate to wrestle off her shirt, to the embarrassed squeak of Peter in the corner. His hands found their way to her back and laid their palms flat against the skin.

The pain didn’t  _ go away. _ It just  _ transferred _ . The fire in her lungs slowly left, leaving to make a new home under Ben’s touch. She could breathe, but her back now finally burned from the heat of the apartment fire. Lei swallowed a whimper and gripped her thighs with bruising force. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the pain started to ebb. “You really did a number on your lungs.” Ben muttered.

“I’ve done worse.”

“Doesn’t make it any better,” He finally drew away and stood up. “You could’ve died.” She rubbed a hand over her back, feeling where Ben had healed her. Though there was nothing noticeable to her fingers, she knew the skin was depigmented where he had touched her. He sighed when he noticed her ministrations. “These ones will stay for a week or so.”

Lei nodded and used the desktop to help herself up, letting out a grunt as she did so. She took her shirt from Ben and tugged it back on, feeling Peter watch her all the while. She looked to him, took in his deer-in-headlights eyes, and then to Ben, who seemed sympathetic to the decision she had to make. She took a steeling breath. “You have questions.”

“Uh huh.” Peter said a little dumbly. He cleared his throat of the waver that shook his words. Lei took a seat on her desk and folded her arms. It took a moment from her to speak, her jaw tightening and teeth grinding a little as she chose what to say. Finally, Ben took pity on her.

“How well do you know your mythology, Peter?”

“My mythology?”

“Stories. Legends. Mythical creatures.”

“I know a few.” His confusion was audible.

“They’re real.” Ben said bluntly. Peter blinked.

“What?”

“All of it--some of it--most of it?” Ben glanced to Lei for help.

“A good deal of it.” She offered. He nodded.

“Right.”

“So…” Peter paused. “Werewolves?”

“Yep.”

“Vampires.”

“Uh huh.”

“Leprechauns?”

“Those are just Irish halflings.”

“You’re joking.”

“Nope.”

“What is it really?” He insisted.

“What we just told you.” Ben shot right back. Lei watched the exchange with an unreadable expression.

“That can’t--that’s not  _ real _ !” Peter was getting frustrated now.

“You just watched my hands glow!”

“It has to be science! There’s an explanation!”

“Peter,” Lei finally spoke up. He turned to star at her. She sighed and rubbed her face, focusing on the feeling to keep herself from spiralling once again. “I promise… I promise he’s telling the truth.”

“We would’ve found out about it though!” He still protested. “I mean we know about aliens and they’re millions of lightyears away! If magic exists, and people like him are around,” He pointed to Ben. “We would know!”

“Not if everything we do is to try to keep ourselves secret.” he spluttered at her response, not knowing whether to laugh or groan in frustration.

“Fine,” He finally said. “say I believe you. What are you, then?”

“Angel.” The answer was immediate from both adults. 

“Don’t angels have wings?” Lei and Ben exchanged looks.

It was an incredible risk, more than either of them had ever attempted. Luciana turned a blind eye to a lot, but this… this could go incredibly wrong. Ben shrugged, almost helplessly, as if to say ‘whatever you decide’. She grimaced, then made a gesture. ‘Go on.’

The wings weren’t the first things to appear. First came the markings, silver and swirling against his dark skin. They covered nearly every inch of him, even crawling up his neck and covering his face in an ornate mask of designs. Then his eyes changed from brown to icy blue, cold and piercing. Last was the wing. Only one, owl-like feathers shimmering with rainbow light as it shook off the glamor that hid it. He stretched it to its full span, easily able to reach across the room in front of Peter’s wide eyes. Peter opened his mouth, then closed it, then looked to Lei, then back to Ben. 

Then ran.

They watched him flee, the door slamming behind him. For a few seconds neither said anything.

“That didn’t go...so bad.” Ben finally tried. His angel features disappeared, just in time for Lei to squint at him incredulously.

“Not bad? How could that have gone any worse?”

“He didn’t fight.”

“Yeah, he just ran!”

“It’s a lot of information, give him time to process it.”

Lei groaned and pressed her hands to her face. “What if he  _ tells _ ?”

“Let’s give it a day, and if he doesn’t show up we can pay him a visit.”

“That sounds like a terrible idea.”

“Better than running him down right now,” He stopped and examined her, voice turning soft. “Have you been sleeping?”

She gave him an equally scrutinizing look, visibly debating whether to let him change the subject. “Define sleeping.” She finally grumbled.

“More than 2 hours at a time.”

“Then no.”

“Lei-”

“I’ve been trying, I promise. It’s just… hard,” She slumped off her desk to pick up her discarded overcoat. It wasn’t too badly damaged, though it would be a pain to get the smell out. Then tone of her voice left no room for argument. She had nothing more past that. He sighed and put a hand on her shoulder, gently urging her to the door.

“Try some more. You look like hell.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Anytime.”

*~*

Knocking. Rapid, insistent,  _ obnoxious _ knocking. Lei pulled herself up from the couch with a snarl. Judging from the cable box clock, she’d only gotten an hour of sleep and a bout of pain for her trouble.

_ “We need a scale.” _

_ “For what?” _

_ Bucky had noticed her wincing as she reached for the upper cabinets. It wasn’t a terrible day, she’d had worse ones since she’d told him about her chronic pain, but it never failed to worry him when he noticed. “For your… you know… bad days.” _

_ “Like 1 through 10?” _

_ He nodded. Lei shrugged, then regretted it “I guess that makes sense.” She said. _

_ “So where are you today?” _

She was at a 3, not worth getting her painkillers but a nuisance all the same. The knocking continued. Her knees protested with each step she took to the front door. She looked through the peephole, fully prepared to snap at whoever was at the other side.

For the second time in a couple of hours, she was surprised by the same person. 

“Peter? What are you doing here?” She tried to keep her voice calm as she opened the door. He was still in his suit, even though hours had passed since they last saw each other. He fidgeted sheepishly.

“Can I come in?” He asked.

Lei stepped aside, eyeing him thoughtfully as he came through, and trailed behind him as they went up to the living room. He’d only been to her house a few times, and never on a personal call like this seemed to be. Once upstairs he finally took off the mask and she could see his expression, apologetic and hesitant.

“I wanted to say sorry, about… earlier. I shouldn’t have freaked out like that.”

“That’s okay,” Lei said slowly. She was still prepared for another rendition of his performance in her office. “It’s a lot to take in.”

“Is it really… real?”

Lei nodded. Suddenly a sparkle grew in his eyes, and she drew back in surprise from the tangible excitement on his face.

“Tell me  _ everything _ .”


	15. Chapter 15

“Whoever Oz sold to, they’re more of a threat than the angels.” Lei was agitated, skin prickling as her magic rose to the sway of her emotion. She tried to rub it away as she spoke into the phone. “If they weren’t, he would’ve tried to get the angels protection in exchange for information.”

“Well then, who’s more of a threat?” Ben asked on the other end. 

“Someone who’s bold enough to buy stolen etherium.” She was pacing her living room like a caged animal. Bucky being gone was a bittersweet reality; he wasn’t around to ask questions, but he also wasn’t there to distract her. “We can argue about who has more force or more power until we’re blue in the face, but the fact is I don’t know  _ anyone  _ who’d want to risk a fight with the Guard.” She glanced warily out the window, as if trying to search for said mystery person, but all she was met with was the darkened street. The sun had set long ago, yet the most Lei had done was change out of her clothes. She hadn’t eaten, she hadn’t showered, and she hadn’t stopped  _ thinking. _

“You’re worried.”

“Aren’t you?”

“Maybe, But I think you’re also projecting a bit.”

“About what?”

“Aren’t Bucky and Tony supposed to be returning tomorrow?” He asked.

Their mission was only supposed to last 3 days, but it was nearing a week now since they left and it frayed Lei’s nerves more than she cared to admit. She couldn’t fathom them working together without an incident for an hour, let alone 168. She wasn’t the only one, with Steve sounding as doubtful as she felt when he called to tell her about the assignment extension. Lei sighed and rubbed at her eyes, realizing what he was getting at. “Ben--”

“Don’t say I’m wrong,” He warned. “Because I know you and I’m right.” 

Lei fell into a disgruntled silence, and it made the quiet around her all the louder. She rubbed her eyes and then let the hand trail to cover her mouth. Too much was happening. She needed to get out of the house. “I gotta go.”

“Lei-”

“I’ll call you later.” She hung up on his protests and put her phone on ‘do not disturb’ for good measure. Was it a little childish? Maybe. Was it necessary? Yes. A lecture was the last thing she needed. Her head already hurt too much. Lei shook herself with a sigh before grabbing her coat and heading out. A walk was better. She could lose herself in the sights and sounds and smells, get away from her roiling mind. 

A walk was not better.

“I need you to hold onto me, okay honey? Can you do that for me?” Lei asked the teenager. She was a slight thing, a fawn shaking and staring wide-eyed at the flames around her. “Abigail!” Those eyes snapped to her. “You’re going to get out of here, and I’m gonna help you. Now hold on.”

The apartment was burning. The fire department wasn’t going to reach the scene before the whole thing came down. Abby was one of the last ones left inside, or at least, that’s what her mother sobbed to Lei when she came to investigate. Lei wasn’t confident she could save the others before it was too late, but she knew she could save Abby.

The teenager clung to Lei’s jacket, too terrified to wonder how the wool was only  _ slightly  _ singed (A good resistance spell was hard to find, something that Lei had learned the hard way with some more  _ ill-fated _ clothes). Hopefully it would stay that way, though any longer in the inferno would--figuratively and literally--turn those hopes to ashes.

Lei jumped through the rising flames and towards the fire escape. Good news was the brick it was screwed into still held relatively firm. The bad news, at least for Abby, was that the metal was scorching hot. “Don’t touch anything.” Lei ordered. She hopped onto the rickety platform, frowning at the burning plants that cluttered it, before grabbing the railing and vaulting over the side. Abby screamed as she was suddenly hurtling through the air. Lei managed to grab onto the last railing, slowing their descent with a sharp jerk, forcing a pained grunt through her lips as her shoulder protested the abuse. “Can you jump?” She asked Abby. The teen nodded shakily. Slowly, hesitantly, she loosened her hold on the coat and dropped to the dirty asphalt. With one final nod, Lei hauled herself back up and climbed back into the blazing building.

The flames didn’t bother her. Though her clothes protested a little, her skin was fine, without mark or pain even when licked by the orange tongues of fire. The smoke, however, was another story. She coughed as she searched for more survivors, her lungs burning like her flesh couldn’t. She dodged a falling beam before scaling the disintegrating steps. It was hard to see, too bright but too blurry at the same time. She covered her mouth and nose with her coat sleeve, but she’d already inhaled too much smoke to do any good. She needed to get out. Of all she’s been through, this would’ve been a pathetic way to die.

“Hello?”

She whipped around, still coughing. Squinting through the fire, she tried focusing on a lean figure that had appeared in a doorway. She thought it was another survivor, though the voice was uncomfortably familiar. As they drew closer, she recognized who it was. “Fuck.”

“Lei?!” Peter seemed panicked. “What are you doing here?!” Lei was a little panicked too, for many more reasons than him.

“What are you doing here!?” She snapped back.

“What am I--I’m Spiderman! I’m supposed to be here--” Something cracked and both their heads snapped up. The ceiling looked ready to collapse. And it started to. “Shit.”

Without a second thought, Lei lunged for Peter, grabbing him and pulling a metal disk from her pocket at the same time. She threw the disk at their feet, opening a portal below them. They fell through, landing painfully on top of a desk and rolling onto the floor. Lei groaned and turned onto her back to see the portal still open. Her eyes widened as she watched burning lumber plummet towards them, ready to crush her and Peter. Her hand shot out. The disk shattered and the portal closed just as the first bit of debris was about to fall through. The room was plunged into silence.

Then Peter spoke.

“What the fuck.” Peter wheezeed. He was still recovering the breath stolen by the fall. 

“Language.” Lei coughed and got to her feet, looking around for any sign of damage. Her office seemed unharmed from their abrupt entry. That was good, she’d hate to have to get it fixed….again.

“Don’t-! Lei, what-!?” Peter fumbled for his words, getting up as well. He ripped off his mask, eyes wild. “What’s going on?! Why are we in your office?!  _ How  _ are we in your office?!”

Lei groaned and pressed a hand to her temple. The headache was back, stronger than before, each question like a knife digging into her skull. Panic rose in her throat, making it all the harder to breathe. Her lungs burned. She doubled over, clutching at her chest.

“Lei--” His voice was a little faraway, but she could still pick up a hint of worry in Peter’s voice. She tried to focus on him, but her sight was about to blur around the edges. She rested heavily on the desk.

“Get Ben.” She wheezed.

“But--”

“Now!” She tried to force the urgency through her smoke-torn throat. The effort made her choke, then crumble into a fit of hacking coughs. Peter squeaked and ran from the room, barely remembering to wrestle his mask back on before pushing past the door. Lei slid to the floor, using desk to support her back.

_ ‘Name 5 things you see, Leilani’ Her father’s voice was soft but steady. He gripped her 14 year old shoulders with grounding force, not hard enough to hurt but enough to remind her that he was there. She swallowed, then let out a shuddering wheeze as she tried to find things to name. _

_ ‘You,” She started. Tony nodded encouragingly. “Um, my computer, my pencil, the win-window.” _

_ “You’re doing great, sweetie, just one more.” _

_ “My dresser.” _

_ “Okay, 4 things you can feel.” _

_ “Your hands-” _

Hands were shaking her shoulders. Ben knelt in front of her, fierce with worry. “4 things you can feel, Lei, come on!” She heaved a breath. The floor, the desk, her  _ burning fucking lungs _ . 

“I’m fucking fine, heal m-!” Her wrecked words were interrupted by a horrific cough. She tried to get up, but he quickly pushed her back down. He didn’t hesitate to wrestle off her shirt, to the embarrassed squeak of Peter in the corner. His hands found their way to her back and laid their palms flat against the skin.

The pain didn’t  _ go away. _ It just  _ transferred _ . The fire in her lungs slowly left, leaving to make a new home under Ben’s touch. She could breathe, but her back now finally burned from the heat of the apartment fire. Lei swallowed a whimper and gripped her thighs with bruising force. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the pain started to ebb. “You really did a number on your lungs.” Ben muttered.

“I’ve done worse.”

“Doesn’t make it any better,” He finally drew away and stood up. “You could’ve died.” She rubbed a hand over her back, feeling where Ben had healed her. Though there was nothing noticeable to her fingers, she knew the skin was depigmented where he had touched her. He sighed when he noticed her ministrations. “These ones will stay for a week or so.”

Lei nodded and used the desktop to help herself up, letting out a grunt as she did so. She took her shirt from Ben and tugged it back on, feeling Peter watch her all the while. She looked to him, took in his deer-in-headlights eyes, and then to Ben, who seemed sympathetic to the decision she had to make. She took a steeling breath. “You have questions.”

“Uh huh.” Peter said a little dumbly. He cleared his throat of the waver that shook his words. Lei took a seat on her desk and folded her arms. It took a moment from her to speak, her jaw tightening and teeth grinding a little as she chose what to say. Finally, Ben took pity on her.

“How well do you know your mythology, Peter?”

“My mythology?”

“Stories. Legends. Mythical creatures.”

“I know a few.” His confusion was audible.

“They’re real.” Ben said bluntly. Peter blinked.

“What?”

“All of it--some of it--most of it?” Ben glanced to Lei for help.

“A good deal of it.” She offered. He nodded.

“Right.”

“So…” Peter paused. “Werewolves?”

“Yep.”

“Vampires.”

“Uh huh.”

“Leprechauns?”

“Those are just Irish halflings.”

“You’re joking.”

“Nope.”

“What is it really?” He insisted.

“What we just told you.” Ben shot right back. Lei watched the exchange with an unreadable expression.

“That can’t--that’s not  _ real _ !” Peter was getting frustrated now.

“You just watched my hands glow!”

“It has to be science! There’s an explanation!”

“Peter,” Lei finally spoke up. He turned to star at her. She sighed and rubbed her face, focusing on the feeling to keep herself from spiralling once again. “I promise… I promise he’s telling the truth.”

“We would’ve found out about it though!” He still protested. “I mean we know about aliens and they’re millions of lightyears away! If magic exists, and people like him are around,” He pointed to Ben. “We would know!”

“Not if everything we do is to try to keep ourselves secret.” he spluttered at her response, not knowing whether to laugh or groan in frustration.

“Fine,” He finally said. “say I believe you. What are you, then?”

“Angel.” The answer was immediate from both adults. 

“Don’t angels have wings?” Lei and Ben exchanged looks.

It was an incredible risk, more than either of them had ever attempted. Luciana turned a blind eye to a lot, but this… this could go incredibly wrong. Ben shrugged, almost helplessly, as if to say ‘whatever you decide’. She grimaced, then made a gesture. ‘Go on.’

The wings weren’t the first things to appear. First came the markings, silver and swirling against his dark skin. They covered nearly every inch of him, even crawling up his neck and covering his face in an ornate mask of designs. Then his eyes changed from brown to icy blue, cold and piercing. Last was the wing. Only one, owl-like feathers shimmering with rainbow light as it shook off the glamor that hid it. He stretched it to its full span, easily able to reach across the room in front of Peter’s wide eyes. Peter opened his mouth, then closed it, then looked to Lei, then back to Ben. 

Then ran.

They watched him flee, the door slamming behind him. For a few seconds neither said anything.

“That didn’t go...so bad.” Ben finally tried. His angel features disappeared, just in time for Lei to squint at him incredulously.

“Not bad? How could that have gone any worse?”

“He didn’t fight.”

“Yeah, he just ran!”

“It’s a lot of information, give him time to process it.”

Lei groaned and pressed her hands to her face. “What if he  _ tells _ ?”

“Let’s give it a day, and if he doesn’t show up we can pay him a visit.”

“That sounds like a terrible idea.”

“Better than running him down right now,” He stopped and examined her, voice turning soft. “Have you been sleeping?”

She gave him an equally scrutinizing look, visibly debating whether to let him change the subject. “Define sleeping.” She finally grumbled.

“More than 2 hours at a time.”

“Then no.”

“Lei-”

“I’ve been trying, I promise. It’s just… hard,” She slumped off her desk to pick up her discarded overcoat. It wasn’t too badly damaged, though it would be a pain to get the smell out. Then tone of her voice left no room for argument. She had nothing more past that. He sighed and put a hand on her shoulder, gently urging her to the door.

“Try some more. You look like hell.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Anytime.”

*~*

Knocking. Rapid, insistent,  _ obnoxious _ knocking. Lei pulled herself up from the couch with a snarl. Judging from the cable box clock, she’d only gotten an hour of sleep and a bout of pain for her trouble.

_ “We need a scale.” _

_ “For what?” _

_ Bucky had noticed her wincing as she reached for the upper cabinets. It wasn’t a terrible day, she’d had worse ones since she’d told him about her chronic pain, but it never failed to worry him when he noticed. “For your… you know… bad days.” _

_ “Like 1 through 10?” _

_ He nodded. Lei shrugged, then regretted it “I guess that makes sense.” She said. _

_ “So where are you today?” _

She was at a 3, not worth getting her painkillers but a nuisance all the same. The knocking continued. Her knees protested with each step she took to the front door. She looked through the peephole, fully prepared to snap at whoever was at the other side.

For the second time in a couple of hours, she was surprised by the same person. 

“Peter? What are you doing here?” She tried to keep her voice calm as she opened the door. He was still in his suit, even though hours had passed since they last saw each other. He fidgeted sheepishly.

“Can I come in?” He asked.

Lei stepped aside, eyeing him thoughtfully as he came through, and trailed behind him as they went up to the living room. He’d only been to her house a few times, and never on a personal call like this seemed to be. Once upstairs he finally took off the mask and she could see his expression, apologetic and hesitant.

“I wanted to say sorry, about… earlier. I shouldn’t have freaked out like that.”

“That’s okay,” Lei said slowly. She was still prepared for another rendition of his performance in her office. “It’s a lot to take in.”

“Is it really… real?”

Lei nodded. Suddenly a sparkle grew in his eyes, and she drew back in surprise from the tangible excitement on his face.

“Tell me  _ everything _ .”


End file.
